Police warning as sex offenders flee abroad
HUNDREDS of West Midlands sex offenders could now be living new lives abroad, it has emerged, potentially raising questions about how well they are being monitored and the safety of children around their new homes.
Detectives believe around 300 paedophiles, perverts and sex attackers originally from the region are now overseas.
This number may include some who intend to come back to the UK but is likely also to feature those who have gone off the radar.
Registered sex offenders must notify police of all foreign travel and detectives work to keep track of any who travel abroad but there will naturally be questions about how closely they can be monitored while outside of the UK and what they are doing while they are away.
The details have emerged following a freedom of information request to West Midlands Police.
And it comes after the Mercury recently revealed how 59 sex offenders are currently ‘missing’, with detectives worryingly having no clue as to their whereabouts.
Sex offenders who fail to notify cops they are travelling abroad are committing a criminal offence.
The authorities must be kept notified of when and where someone on the register will be travelling.
Offenders are also supposed to inform police of when they intend to return to the UK. Sex offenders are generally expected to remain in the UK for some time after their conviction before they will be considered for overseas travel.
There have been high-profile cases of predators who have fled abroad and never come back.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “We have detectives who specialise in monitoring sex offenders who work with our partners to actively locate these people. Our intelligence suggests 301 offenders currently reside outside of the UK.”
Charity Nacro said: “If you are living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you must notify the police of any intention to leave the UK for any period of time. Failure to notify the police about your intention to leave the UK (or providing a false notification) is a criminal offence.
“If you are convicted at the Crown Court, the maximum penalty is five years’ imprisonment.”
An abuse survivor recently told the Mercury that details of ‘missing’ sex predators “chills me to the bone”.
West Midlands Police said it works with forces across the country to track down and arrest ‘missing’ sex offenders. It said: “As a matter of course, details of all missing registered sex offenders are circulated on the Police National Computer and to all forces and law enforcement agencies. Our approach to finding these people is assessed on a case by case basis so we can maximise, rather than compromise, our opportunities to find and arrest them.”