THE number of registered sex offenders in Merseyside has broken through the 1,000 mark, new figures have revealed.
On March 1, 2008, there were 1,025 registered sex offenders living within the local community, a rise of 50 on the previous year.
This is the fifth highest number in England, according to national figures.
In total, the region held 1,866 “dangerous” offenders between April, 2007, and March, 2008, which also includes violent criminals.
Of these, 45 offenders are subject to the most intense form of supervision – level three – and these offenders are regarded as the “critical few” most likely to commit serious new offences.
There are 276 category two offenders, which are those classed as having a “high” or “very high” risk of causing serious harm.
Across the wider region, more than 2,500 registered sex offenders are being monitored in Mersey-side, Cheshire and Lancashire.
The figures are in the annual assessment of Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA) teams in England and Wales which monitor violent or sexual criminals living in each county after leaving prison.
In the same period, 58 of the offenders on Merseyside were cautioned or convicted for breaches of their registration requirements.
Merseyside Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe said: “In 2008, the Home Office released annual figures, which showed a reduction of 18% in all crime across Merseyside.
“MAPPA is an important part of how we deal with managing the risk posed by offenders. It supports our priorities in preventing those people re-offending and providing total victim care.”
The MAPPA teams, comprising police, prison and probation services, were set up seven years ago to monitor dangerous offenders after they leave prison, and to make communities safer.
In Cheshire, there has been an increase of 37 registered sexual offenders from last year to 614, and the county has 187 violent and non-registered sex offenders monitored within its boundaries.
The county has 205 offenders managed under level two or three guidelines.
In Lancashire, there are 1,015 registered sex offenders, 422 violent offenders and 22 offenders managed under level three.
Ian Phillips, assistant chief officer for the Lancashire Probation Service, said: “Our highest priority is to safeguard the public in Lancashire and these results show that the multi-agency arrangements put in place to monitor and manage offenders in the community are working.
“Talking about sexual offences is emotive and I understand why people are concerned about sex offenders living in the community; however, the vast majority of sexual offences against children are committed by someone known to the child, so teaching our children just to be afraid of strangers is misleading.
“Everyone can help to keep the community safe by being vigilant and reporting concerns to the authorities.
“Realistically, we can never entirely eliminate risk for any offender, but the results show that our tough controls and joint working are as effective as possible.”
