83% back Sarah's Law according to poll

A new poll shows four out of five people believe parents should have a legal right to information about child sex offenders living in their neighbourhood.

The survey, published in the News of the World, shows 83% of the public support the campaign for the introduction of a Sarah's Law, giving parents controlled access to details about offenders who may pose a risk to children.

The poll shows support for a change in the law is higher now than it was when the Sarah's Law campaign was launched in July 2000, after the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, when 82% backed proposals.

Of those surveyed for this latest poll, 60% said they would want to know the identity and address of a local serious child sex offender; 20% said they would want to know the presence of a sex offender, but not their name or address; and 16% said they trusted the authorities and would not want any details.

The poll also showed that 72% felt more fearful about child safety, and 51% believed children were now more fearful of strangers.

A minority of people - 11% - were opposed to the campaign, which proposes that people found misusing the information be severely penalised.

Of the 1,000 adults interviewed for the ICM poll, 75% felt the Government was not moving quickly enough to reform child sex laws.