A good idea?

I read in the Guardian yesterday (via Current Awareness) that the Association of Chief Police Officers is recommending that perpetrators of domestic violence be placed on a domestic violence abuse register. Chief Constable Brian Moore, the Association's spokesman on domestic violence, told the Commons home affairs committee (which is carrying out an inquiry into domestic violence) that dozens of lives could be saved if the perpetrators were tracked in the same way as sex offenders.

I'm not sure about this, but I suppose it could be useful if, when a call from a victim comes in, the alleged perpetrator's name were checked against the register, to ensure a rapid and serious response if the name appears. On the other hand, shouldn't there always be such a response? How else the register might be useful is not clear to me. Moore speaks of having a "picture of those at risk", but what does he intend, that such people are warned about their partners?