Sex offender alerts plan launched
Parents will be able to ask if someone close to their family is a sex offender under new pilot schemes in England.
Under the measures, police will be able to tell families if someone with access to a child has convictions or has been previously suspected of abuse.
The year-long projects will be run in Warwickshire, Cambridgeshire, Cleveland, and Hampshire.
The move comes after a campaign for a US-style "Megan's law" - but the scheme falls short of a "right to know".
Calls for a scheme began after the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne by a man already convicted of sex offences.
But some charities have warned the schemes could lead to vigilante attacks, and could drive offenders further underground.
