Number of sex offenders living in communities continues to rise

MORE than 1,000 sex offenders live in Leicestershire - and the number continues to rise.

Figures released recently show there were 1,031 registered sex offenders living in the Leicestershire police force area at the end of March 2020.

This is the equivalent of one sex offender for every 940 people aged 10 and over.

However, the number of sex offenders per head in the area is 11 per cent lower than across England and Wales as a whole, which has one sex offender for every 837 people.

Compared to March 2019, the number of sex offenders in Leicestershire has risen by 2 per cent.

It has also risen by 69 per cent over the past decade since the police force level figures were first published at the end of 2010/11.

Back then there were 611 registered sex offenders living here. This year’s figure is a record high.

The figures released by the Ministry of Justice cover offenders managed by Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) aimed at preventing further offences.

Sex offenders are required to notify the police of certain details, with further notification required if any of those details change (sometimes referred to as “being on the sex offenders register”).

In 2019/20, two sex offenders being monitored in Leicestershire were convicted of a serious further offence.

As well as this, two serious sex offenders were returned to prison for breaching their licence conditions, and 60 sex offenders were cautioned or convicted of a breach of notification requirements.

Across England and Wales, there were 62,435 registered sex offenders being monitored by police at March 31, 2020.

This was a 5 per cent rise compared to 59,742 offenders being managed in March 2019.

The number of registered sex offenders has doubled over the past 13 years, from 31,392 in 2006/07.

The increase in the number of sex offenders is influenced by sentencing trends, in which the number of people convicted of sexual offences is increasing.

Additionally, many sexual offenders are required to register for long periods of time, with some registering for life.

This has a cumulative effect on the total number of offenders required to register at any one time.

Offenders can apply for a review of lifetime notification requirements, after at least 15 years for adults and eight years for juveniles - a total of 15 offenders in Leicestershire had these requirements revoked in 2019/20.

MAPPA doesn’t just cover sex offenders, they also apply to other violent and dangerous criminals who may be at risk of reoffending.

The arrangements were reviewed this year after a convicted terrorist, who was released on licence, killed two people near London Bridge last November.

The report made a number of recommendations such as better intelligence sharing and more active case management.

It also recommended assigning all terrorist offenders subject to MAPPA to a new Category 4. Currently they can be categorised as either violent (Category 2) or other dangerous persons (Category 3).

In Leicestershire, there were 363 Category 2 and one Category 3 offenders at the end of March 2020.

Among Category 2 and 3 offenders, there were seven licence breaches in 2019/20, while one offender was charged with a serious further offence and two offenders were convicted of such an offence.

MAPPA brings together the police, probation and prison services, as the responsible authority, working with other organisations such as social services, health trusts and local authorities.

Offenders eligible for MAPPA are identified and information is gathered and shared about them across relevant agencies.

The nature and level of the risk of harm they pose is assessed and a coordinated risk management plan is implemented to protect the public.