Ads encourage paedophile checks

Police say the adverts are not meant to scare people

Two police forces have made radio adverts to encourage people to check if adults living nearby are sex offenders.

The idea is to publicise a scheme which has been running in parts of Hampshire and Cambridgeshire over the past year which aims to protect children from paedophiles.

It's called 'disclosure' and allows members of the public to phone the police and ask them to check whether an individual is a sex offender.

Police say the ads aren't meant to scare people but to spread awareness of the scheme.

Part of the Cambridgeshire radio advert has a woman's voice saying: "There's something not quite right about my sister's new partner.

"She's too loved up to notice but I see the way he is around the children.

No guarantees

"Maybe it's nothing but I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to them."

We wanted to let them know the pilot existed, what it was there for, to give them information perhaps they didn't know before Detective Constable Deidre Reed

Anyone who looks out for the welfare of a child like a parent, guardian, friend or neighbour can register a child protection interest.

Disclosure is not guaranteed and is only given to the person who is in the best position to protect the child.

Anyone who receives information about a sex offender has to sign a form beforehand saying they won't share it with anyone else.

People can make an inquiry by telephone, e-mail or by going into the station.

Detective Constable Deidre Reed speaks for Cambridgeshire Police.

She said: "We wanted to let them know the pilot existed, what it was there for, to give them information perhaps they didn't know before and to let them know how they could access the pilot - but not scaring them."