Hundreds of registered sex offenders in county
Annual agency report reveals profile of managed felons
More than 400 registered sex offenders were living in Lanarkshire last year.
The latest figures, from the annual Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) report, show there were 450 sex offenders being managed over both North and South Lanarkshire.
MAPPA is a joint system to manage risks posed by offenders, with input from councils, Police Scotland, the NHS and the Scottish Prison Service.
The report provides a snapshot of statistics relating to sex offenders at liberty in the county on March 31, 2017.
The documentation shows that 18 registered sex offenders in Lanarkshire broke the notification rules between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017.
Nine offenders were returned to custody over the year for breaching their conditions.
Of the 450 living in the county, 446 were male and four female.
One is recorded as being under the age of 18, while there were 14 aged between 18 and 21, 37 between the ages of 22 and 25 and 40 aged 26 to 30.
The largest age group of registered sex offenders in Lanarkshire was aged between 31 and 40, with 96 living in the area.
There were 92 aged between 41 and 50, 95 aged from 51 to 60, 43 aged between 61 and 70, and 32 older than 70.
Although on the snapshot date of March 31, 2017, there were 450 registered sex offenders in Lanarkshire, the MAPPA report also revealed that the number of sex offenders they managed in total between April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017, was 711.
Liam Purdie, chair of MAPPA, said: “MAPPA brings together partners including Police Scotland, North and South Lanarkshire councils, NHS Lanarkshire, the Scottish Prison Service and other agencies to manage registered sex Offenders either in the community or in custody.
“These agencies work in partnership to ensure that the assessment and management of risk is undertaken with all registered sex offenders.
“This is to manage and reduce risk of further reoffending and to ensure public safety.”