THERE was the chance it was always going to be a somewhat risky kind of legislation – but the trialling of a watered-down version of “Sarah’s Law” in four regions of the country has demonstrated that it could actually prove effective.

After all, once word got around that there was a paedophile in the community, the prospect of groups of concerned residents seeking “vigilante justice” could have been horribly real.

But the evaluation that has taken place – and has paved the way for the scheme to be introduced in Merseyside next March – has thankfully shown that those parents who have been privy to information about suspect individuals, following requests to the authorities, have been able to treat what they know with appropriate responsibility.

We hope that will continue, as the scheme spreads ever wider across the country. It is important that children are protected, and that those caring for them have the knowledge they need to look out for their best interests, but, in a civilised society, it is also vital that those offenders who have paid their dues and been released do not find themselves subject to harassment by Western-style lynch-mobs.

All those people who receive confidential information are warned by the authorities that it must remain so – or else run the risk of prosecution themselves. While welcoming the introduction of the diluted “Sarah’s Law” that we in Merseyside will see next year, we hope this is done hand-in-hand with strict enforcement of the conditions attached to any release of information.

It is a significant step forward that this law will be available for Merseyside residents from next March.

But we don’t want the law to fall into the wrong hands.