Inspector Cassie Glass has praised the scheme which will allow women and men across Scotland who suspect their partner has an abusive background to have that information disclosed to them.

The domestic abuse disclosure was introduced in England and Wales after the murder of Clare Wood by her ex-boyfriend in Salford, Greater Manchester in 2009.

She was unaware of his history of violence against women. It was trialled for six months in Ayrshire and Aberdeen with a total of 59 applications received and 22 disclosures made.

While overall crime in Renfrewshire and Inverclyde dropped by 1.4 per cent over the last year (1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015) Police Scotland recorded an increase of domestic abuse in the area by 4 per cent to 3119.

Inspector Cassie Glass said: “Domestic abuse impacts on all our communities even though it often takes place behind closed doors. Police Scotland will not tolerate domestic abuse. We will tackle it and we will remove those who present the risk because we want to prevent it destroying the lives of its victims and those children who too often witness this abuse.

“It is reassuring to see the success of the pilots and to know that the people given these disclosures will now hopefully not be victims of domestic abuse.

“Saving lives and protecting people is our job and I am delighted Clare’s Law will be extended across the whole of Scotland as there is a potential to protect hundreds of people and stop them become the victims of abusers, either directly or indirectly.

“It also sends a clear signal to those who would abuse others that they can’t hide and their abuse history will be disclosed if it means protecting others.” Last week, The Gazette reported on a violent Paisley man who subjected three of his girlfriends to countless beatings and battered one of them while she was pregnant.

Steven McFadyen, 24, attacked the women repeatedly over a six year period and was given jail terms totalling over 12 years at Paisley Sheriff Court. The court heard how he attacked one partner in December 2008 while she was pregnant and on other occasions between 2007 and 2009.

After splitting up with her and going out with another woman his violence increased and between February 2010 and September 2011 he beat her repeatedly.

He split from his second victim and began dating another woman, who he regularly beat between July 2012 and June 2013. On July 21, 2012, at a flat in Paisley he shouted and swore at her, headbutted her and then tried to get her to lick a self harming wound on his arm. It is hoped that the scheme will prevent more people from becoming victims of domestic abuse in Scotland.

Clare’s father Michael Brown campaigned for people to have the right to ask for information about their partner, he said: “I very much welcome the national roll-out of the disclosure scheme across Scotland.

“It is heartening to see the success of the pilots and to know that the people given these disclosures will now hopefully not be victims of domestic abuse.” Renfrewshire Women’s Aid offers confidential and free advice and support from women for women. The charity provides advice, support, information and safe accommodation to women and children suffering from domestic abuse.

Dr. Marsha Scott, CEO of Scottish Women’s Aid, said: “We welcome measures that make women and children experiencing domestic abuse safer and the disclosure scheme may be an additional way in which we can work towards that goal.

“We look forward to seeing the evaluation of the scheme when it’s published, so that we can ascertain whether the pilot delivered on this objective.

“We would also like to see feedback from women themselves over time on order to assess whether they think the this scheme provided them with an additional means of accessing safety.

“While 22 women were able to access information about their partners during the pilot, 37 applications were declined, and I’d be interested to find out why that was, and what offers of support those individuals received.

“Everyone has different needs and it’s important that we see investment across a range of services to ensure that the right kind of support is offered in the most appropriate way.”