Sex offenders: new data reveals how many registered sex offenders there are in Lancashire

What does the data show?

Lancashire Police have revealed that 3,230* registered sex offenders (RSO) are currently living in Lancashire, broken down into the following areas:

Division A (Blackpool, Lancaster) = 1,252

Division B (Blackburn, Burnley, Ribble Valley) = 1,217

Division C (Preston) = 761

Starkingly, police added that there is one registered sex offender, located in Division A (Blackpool and Lancaster), who is deemed to be missing or not meeting the terms of their licence.

*Not all people convicted of sexual offences are given custodial sentences, these figures will include such offenders as well as those who have completed custodial sentences.

How are registered sex-offenders placed and monitored?

Those convicted of serious sexual offences are monitored by MAPPA (Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements) which involves the Probation Service, the police and other agencies working together.

A Probation Service spokesperson said: “Sex offenders serving their sentences are subject to close supervision by probation officers and subject to strict conditions. Those who are on licence from prison have restrictions on where they can live, their use of phones and computers, and who they can contact and can be recalled to prison for breaching them.

“Registered sex offenders are also subject to the requirements of the sex offenders’ register and monitored by the police.”

Specifically on where RSO are located, the Probation Service spokesperson added: “Police and Probation colleagues will always take account of any risks attached to a particular address as well as victims’ concerns and any exclusion zones that are in place to stop offenders going near to them. But beyond this HM Prison and Probation Service has no control over where sex offenders choose to live. There are no simple explanations for a higher proportion of sex offenders in Lancashire.”

Detective Inspector Andy Horne from Lancashire Police said: “We have robust measures in place to monitor RSOs in Lancashire and are graded as GOOD by HMIC. We have around 60 full time specialist offender managers plus additional specialist supervisors/managers in Lancashire responsible for managing RSO, PDP and High Risk Violent offenders (MOSOVO) in Lancashire. This is co-ordinated with our partners under our MAPPA arrangements, and we work closely in collaboration with Probation, Prisons, Community Safety Partnerships and a range of services to monitor and manage risk.”

What conditions are in place for registered sex-offenders?

Convicted RSO will be managed on strict licences on their release, which can include:

-Conditions to protect the victims’ families from unwanted contact such as exclusion zones, to reside at an Approved Premises, to abide by a curfew and GPS tagging.

-They will be subject to supervision which means attending meetings with a probation practitioner.

-Additional licence conditions can also include not to have any unsupervised contact with children and restrictions on internet usage.

All RSO must also provide their local police station with a record of their name, address, date of birth and national insurance number. This is done annually and whenever their details change.

Are these RSO numbers for Lancashire above the national average?

Detective Horne explained: “We are ranked around 4th or 5th nationally in terms of volume which is high for our population size. I do not have national comparative stats available to me unless I request a national benchmarking product. This can be attributed to having an effective response to sex crime investigations, including IIOC [indecent imagery of children] and online offending. We predict an increase in RSO cohort of between 60 and 80 per year depending on prosecutions at court. Much of this increase can be linked to national increases in online offending - IIOC/distribution etc.”

Should these figures be a concern to the public?

Detective Horne said: “We are committed to public safety and have a good track record around managing RSOs across our communities.

“HMIC says we provide a good, effective response, and we are working with partners and communities to ensure people in Lancashire are kept safe. We are developing innovative technology to help us continue to effectively monitor RSOs, but we are also committed to rehabilitation and education of offenders.”

What can the public do if they do have any concerns?

Nationally there is Sarah's Law, also known as the Child Sex Offence Disclosure Scheme which can support anyone who believes a party is at risk of being sexually exploited.

Detective Horne added: “We would always advise our communities to work with the police to mitigate risk and will not accept vigilantism. We have effective safeguarding policies to protect our most vulnerable residents, but always want to listen to our communities to improve our response.”

As well as monitoring registered sex offenders, Lancashire Police also offer support under the Stop It Now campaign in partnership with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which takes a preventive approach to stop it happening in the first place. Stop It Now includes self-help resources for those concerned about their online activity; support for family and friends of those who may be accessing indecent images of children online or engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviours involving children; and information for professionals who work with internet offenders and their families.