TWO TEENAGERS aged 16-years-old were the youngest people to ask the police for information about a partner they believed had an abusive past.

Figures provided by West Yorkshire Police via a Freedom of Information request revealed hundreds of people contacted the police last year over fears they had about their partner.

The total number of people checking up on their partner in 2018 was 628, more than double the amount in 2017, which is 258.

The ages of people contacting police range from 16-years-old to 74-years-old.

The majority of those requesting information were women, but only six were men.

Clare's Law, named after Clare Wood, 36, who was strangled and set on fire by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton at her home in Salford, ensures that all members of the public can ask about the background of someone they suspect to be abusive.

Friends and family, including Ms Wood's father, from Batley, were shocked to discover that the killer had a history of violence against women.

West Yorkshire Police helped launch the national campaign in January to highlight the work that the force and others within the North East region have undertaken as part of the ‘Whole Systems Approach to Domestic Abuse’.

The scheme has been in place in West Yorkshire since 2014, but efforts to publicise it nationally earlier this year has seen a rise in the number of people asking for information about their partners.

A total of 83 people asked for their partner's background to be checked in January of 2019.

A spokesman for the force said: "West Yorkshire Police launched a Clare’s Law campaign on 24th January 2019 to raise awareness of the scheme.

"Since the campaign launch, the force has seen an increase in right to ask requests from members of the public and also an increase in considerations to disclose information under right to know to proactively safeguard victims.

"The force strives to ensure that all victims or potential victims are effectively safeguarded against perpetrators of domestic abuse."