Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

We were contacted by a man in Cambridge recently who was worried about the new man in his ex-girlfriend’s life who had access to his children.

He knew a little about Sarah’s Law, but we explained the disclosure scheme to him in more detail and he made an application.

He said his children were quiet when asked about the new partner, and he just wanted to do all he could to make sure they were safe. His application, which is in progress, was one of 25 we received last month.

Key facts about Sarah’s Law:

• It was introduced after paedophile Roy Whiting abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered eight-year-old schoolgirl Sarah Payne 25 years ago. She was taken less than five miles from the sex offender’s home
• It allows anyone (not just parents) to apply for disclosure information on behalf of a child to find out if an adult, who has access to that child, poses a risk to them

You can find out more on our dedicated web page.

For more information or to fill out a Herbert Protocol form for a loved one or someone you know, visit our dedicated web page.

It’s 7am on a Friday. You leave your house but something isn’t right. You see an elderly woman wandering around in the road.

You go up to her, she seems very confused and it’s hard to get much out of her. The lady in her 80s seems to know her name but looks spaced out. You think she may have dementia.

She has no phone or bag with her, so you decide to take her into your own home in Stapleford so she isn’t on her own and is no longer walking near a busy road.

Thank you to one man last Friday – because this was his reality. The man called us on 999 saying that he had taken the woman in and together with his wife, kept her calm and safe.

A little while later the man said he and his wife had worked out where the woman lived, which was just a few streets away. A family friend of the woman then collected her and reunited her with her husband.

Officers then took steps to speak to the woman’s family about the Herbert Protocol. Have you heard of it?

The scheme encourages family and friends to keep a document that will help officers in the event a loved one goes missing by collating key pieces of information, such as a physical description, familiar places, health details and an up-to-date photo.

It can be incredibly useful and help find people with dementia if they go missing. Feel free to share and help spread the word.

For more information or to fill out a Herbert Protocol form for a loved one or someone you know, visit our dedicated web page.