CHILDREN may be at risk of harm from sexual predators as very few police forces are making full use of ‘Sarah’s Law’, according to a national children's charity.

But police say that figures released by the NSPCC are "misleading".

The charity yesterday said many applications for information made to police under the Child Sex Offenders Disclosure (CSOD) scheme have been unsuccessful.

The scheme came into force following public outrage over the savage murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne by convicted paedophile Roy Whiting.

It allows parents and others to ask police for details about individuals if they suspect they might harm children.

But since it began in April 2011 just one in six applications for information has been successful and West Mercia Police (WMP) force gave information about people who pose a risk to children in just 21 per cent of applications (26 out of 124 applications).

NSPCC Freedom of Information requests to police forces in England and Wales found that from 2011 to 2014, just 16 per cent of applications under the scheme, known as ‘Sarah’s Law’, were successful — with vast variations in the numbers of police disclosures made across England and Wales.

Between 2011 and 2014, 5,357 applications were made to 33 forces but only 877 applications resulted in disclosures being made.

Five other forces said they had received 908 applications but did not provide information about disclosure numbers.

Warwickshire Police gave information about people who pose a risk to children in just 10 per cent of applications (six out of 59 applications).

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: “We are both disturbed and surprised by this wide discrepancy of figures across the country, revealing that there is a postcode lottery when it comes to how forces deal with Sarah’s law.

“Families need to know if there are individuals in their area who pose a risk to children. How can you expect parents to make the right choices in order to protect their children if they don’t know who is a threat.”

A spokesperson for WMP, said: "Sarah’s Law helps to protect children from harm, by giving parents and carers the opportunity, to find out if their children are at risk of sexual abuse. It is a very valuable tool, which gives those responsible for caring for children, information on a need to know basis.

"The figures provided by the NSPCC are misleading as it does not properly explain how this system works. On the majority of occasions, information isn’t disclosed simply because there is no information to disclose, no information exists on that person or because there is no risk to children.

"We are pleased that we have been able to provide information to protect children on a number of occasions, but it is important to understand that there are a number of other reasons why information cannot be disclosed.

"This can include the risk posed by the offender being increased through the disclosure of this information, and the possibility of vigilantism. The decision not to make a disclosure where there is relevant information is actually a very rare occurrence and only takes place after consultation with a multi-agency panel. In these circumstances the panel will consider what other actions, in the absence of a disclosure, need to take place to manage any identified risks.

"Protecting people from harm is at the forefront of everything West Mercia Police do, so it is important that we aim to protect children on every occasion when we are able to provide this information, while taking into account the wider picture and the risks posed."