Sex register managers among state’s busiest

The Sex Offenders Registration Act requires registered sex offenders to inform police of their location and other information, with the goal to reduce the likelihood they will offend again.

Compliance managers are police members responsible for the day-to-day management of one or more registered sex offenders.

Depending on the region, case managers are mostly either located within crime investigation units or sexual offences and child abuse investigation teams.

Of the nine Sexual Offences and Child Investigation Teams (SOCIT) compared in the report, Geelong was third for the most registered sex offenders per compliance manager.

The average case manager based within a SOCIT would be responsible for 55 registered sex offenders, but in Geelong, that number was more than 60. The report did not provide data on the risk level of offenders in each area which, it’s understood, can impact ratios.

Police Minister Lisa Neville said VAGO found Victoria Police was compliant in their legal obligations managing sex offenders. Ms Neville said compared to other states, Victoria Police had the largest team dedicated to this management.

“There are currently 8286 registered sex offenders in Victoria and police do their job incredibly well with a reoffending rate at only 2.3 per cent for this cohort,” Ms Neville said.

She said last year an extra 57 police were allocated to manage registered sex offenders.

Victoria Police spokesman Adam West said the force last year created teams to prioritise, monitor and engage with the highest risk sex offenders.