I Have A Bad Feeling About This

The Sun opines today about a policy that has more of its origins in the Wapping newsroom than Downing Street:-

PARENTS all over Britain will cheer the announcement that Sarah's Law will be put in place across Britain. And they owe a huge debt to Sara Payne - mum of murdered Sarah - whose determination spearheaded the 10-year campaign to make it happen. Now, mums and dads can demand to know if people with access to their kids have sinister secret histories. Critics of the scheme claim it drives paedophiles underground. But as police chiefs' president Sir Hugh Orde says here, these vile offenders do their best to lurk below the radar of detection and supervision anyway. More than 60 child sex crimes have been prevented during the scheme's trial in just four police force areas. It is now being rolled out to eight more and will be implemented nationwide by next spring. The reason for that is simple, and one the critics just cannot deny: Sarah's Law works.

The disclosure arrangements are limited and controlled, but nothing can stop the information leaking out. We have previously seen vigilante-style actions, in one case directed at an unfortunate paediatrician. I have a nasty feeling that one day in the not too distant future we shall be reading about the first lynching prompted by a disclosure under the new law.