Regional breakdown reveals nearly 500 sex offenders ‘missing in Britian’

Police have lost tabs on nearly 500 registered sex offenders in Britain, according to a report.

The missing include rapists and paedophiles, including some who disappeared more than a decade ago, according to a Sky News investigation.

Figures released by 41 police forces show the number of convicted sex offenders whose whereabouts are unknown is 485, a jump of more than 20% in the last three years.

The Metropolitan Police said it did not know the whereabouts of 227 registered sex offenders, including 38 who had been missing for at least eight years.

The figures come as victims of black cab rapist John Worboys campaign to overturn the decision to release him from prison.

Police did not name the missing sex offenders, citing the Data Protection Act.

West Midlands said 46 registered sex offenders were wanted or missing including one offender who disappeared in 2006.Greater Manchester Police said the whereabouts of 19 registered sex offenders were unknown, with one vanishing in July 2006.Police Scotland said 12 registered sex offenders were wanted, all of whom are believed to be out of the UK.Four forces, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), did not respond to Freedom of Information requests, Sky News said, meaning the total number of sex offenders on the loose is likely to be higher.

The total number missing is up 22% on March 2015 when 39 UK police forces said hey did not know the whereabouts of 396 registered sex offenders.

Alex Mayes, from charity Victim Support, said: “These figures will potentially be very alarming to victims of sexual offences and could undermine public confidence in the criminal justice system.

“To ensure the safety and well-being of survivors of sexual offences, as well as local communities, it is vital that the police strictly monitor sex offenders.”

Registered sex offenders must inform police of their addresses and are subject to monitoring by authorities who manage certain sexual and violent criminals living in communities.

There were a total of 55,236 registered sex offenders living in England and Wales in 2016/17, according to a Ministry of Justice report published last October.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with registered sex offenders and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be.

“We have significantly strengthened the system of reporting that sex offenders are subject to, and a range of civil orders have given police more powers to manage their behaviour.

“When a registered sex offender goes missing, their details are recorded on national and international systems and the police will actively seek out further information and intelligence to locate them.”

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN OF NEARLY 500 SEX OFFENDERS ‘MISSING IN BRITAIN’

Police have lost track of 485 registered sex offenders across Britain including rapists and paedophiles, according to a report by Sky News. Forces across the UK were asked to reveal the number of registered sex offenders whose whereabouts were unknown on 17 January.

Here is a regional breakdown of responses from 41 forces. Four did not respond, Sky News said.

• Avon and Somerset Police
• The force said there were 11 registered sex offenders whose whereabouts were unknown.
• Two had been missing since 2010, one since 2011, one since 2012, two since 2013, two since 2014 and three since 2017.
• Bedfordshire Police
• The force said the whereabouts of three registered sex offenders were unknown.
• They went missing in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and the offences were sexual assault, rape and sexual assault of a child.
• Cambridgeshire Police
• Cambridgeshire Police said nine registered sex offenders were recorded as wanted because their whereabouts are unknown from 2017.
• Offences included sexual assault of a girl under 13, sexual assault and indecent images.
• Cheshire Police
• The force said two registered sex offenders had been missing since 2017. Both were convicted of sexual assault.
• City of London Police
• The force said it had no registered sex offenders whose whereabouts were unknown.
• Cleveland Police
• The force said there were three registered sex offenders whose whereabouts were unknown.
• One went missing in April 2016. It refused to reveal when the other two disappeared.
• Offences included sexual assault, indecent assault and grooming.
• Cumbria Police
• The force said the whereabouts of one registered sex offender was unknown.
• Derbyshire Police
• The force said there were seven registered sex offenders whose whereabouts were unknown.
• One had been missing since June 2006, two had been missing since February 2008, one since January 2012, one since May 2010, one since January 2012 and one since September 2017.
• Offences include rape, indecent assault of a boy under 14, sex assault on a child under 13, gross indecency with a girl and sexual assault of a boy under 13.
• Devon and Cornwall Police
• The force said six registered sex offenders were missing including four known to be abroad. Two went missing in 2016 and four in 2017.
• Dorset Police
• The force said the whereabouts of five registered sex offenders were unknown including three who are “firmly believed to be overseas.”
• One went missing in 2014, three in 2016 and one in 2017.
• Durham Police
• The force said one registered sex offender was missing since 2013.
• Dyfed Powys Police
• The force said the whereabouts of four sex offenders were unknown.
• They included one offender who had been missing since January 2008, one since March 2015, one since February 2017 and one since January 2018.
• Their offences included gross indecency with a boy, indecent assault on a boy under 14, indecent assault on a female aged 16 or over and sexual assault.
• Essex Police
• Sky News did not receive a response.
• Greater Manchester Police
• The force said the whereabouts of 19 registered sex offenders were unknown.
• One offender had been missing since July 2006 and two others since 2009.
• Gwent Police
• The force said the whereabouts of one sex offender was unknown.
• Gloucestershire Police
• The force said the whereabouts of four registered sex offenders were unknown. One had been missing since 2015, one since 2016 and two since 2017.
• Hampshire Police
• The force said the whereabouts of seven registered sex offenders were unknown.
• Hertfordshire Police
• The force said three registered sex offenders were recorded as wanted because their whereabouts were unknown.
• One had been missing for more than a year, while two had disappeared within the last six months.
• Humberside Police
• The force said the whereabouts of nine registered sex offenders were unknown.
• One has been missing since 2008, one since 2010 and another since 2011.
• Kent Police
• The force said nine registered sex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown.
• One had been missing since November 2005, one since June 2008, one since November 2014, one since June 2016 and five went missing in 2017.
• Offences included exposure, grooming, gross indecency, indecent assault, indecent images, intercourse with a girl under 16 and sexual assault.
• Lancashire Police
• Sky News did not receive a response.
• Leicestershire Police
• The force said the whereabouts of one sex offender were unknown.
• Lincolnshire Police
• The force said there were four registered sex offenders whose exact locations were unknown – all of which are believed to be outside the UK.
• One had been missing since 2006, one since 2014, one since 2015 and another since 2016.
• Their offences included rape, indecent assault and possession of indecent images.
• Merseyside Police
• The force said six registered sex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown.
• They went missing between March 2016 and January 2018.
• Metropolitan Police
• The force said 227 registered sex offenders were wanted for various offence, including 38 who had been missing since 2010 or earlier.
• Norfolk Police
• Norfolk Police said one registered sex offender had been missing since March 2014. He is believed to have died. He was convicted of raping a woman.
• A further two convicted sex offenders failed to comply with registration requirements after travelling abroad and not returning to the UK. The details of the countries where they travelled to are known but not the specific addresses, the force said.
• North Wales Police
• The force said there were two registered sex offenders whose whereabouts were unknown. They were reported missing in January 2011 and May 2017.
• North Yorkshire Police
• The force said no registered sex offenders were currently missing.
• Northamptonshire Police
• The force said there were 10 registered sex offenders whose whereabouts were unknown.
• One went missing in 2008, one in 2011, three in 2012, four in 2013 and one in 2017.
• Offences included sexual assault, attempted rape of girl under 13 and rape.
• Nottinghamshire Police
• The force said the whereabouts of seven registered sex offenders were unknown.
• They had gone missing in December 2011, June 2012, December 2012, December 2013, September 2016, January 2017 and February 2017.
• Northumbria Police
• The force said five registered sex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown. One had been missing since 2005, two went missing in 2017 and two went missing in 2018.
• Offences included a sexual assault on a girl, attempting a child to engage in sexual activity, rape of a boy under 16, sexual assault on a girl under 16 and indecent assault on a girl.
• Police Scotland
• The force said 12 registered sex offenders were wanted, all of which are believed to be out of the UK.
• Two have been wanted for nine years, four have been wanted for between one and five years and six have been wanted for under eight months.
• Their offences included rape, attempted rape, indecent assault, possession of indecent images of children, sexual assault, voyeurism, indecent assault on a female aged 16 or over and indecent assault on a boy aged under 14.
• Police Service of Northern Ireland
• Sky News did not receive a response
• South Wales Police
• The force said eight registered sex offenders were missing or wanted.
• One had been missing since January 2008, one since November 2013, one since February 2016 and five since 2017.
• South Yorkshire Police
• The force said 10 registered sex offenders were wanted because their whereabouts were unknown.
• Their offences include assault on a female by penetration, indecent assault on a female under 14, making indecent photos of children, rape, sexual assault, sexual activity with a female under 16, sexual activity with a child and taking indecent photos of children.
• Staffordshire Police
• The force said five registered sex offenders were missing.
• Suffolk Police
• The force said there were two registered sex offenders whose whereabouts were unknown. It refused to provide any further information.
• Surrey Police
• The force said the whereabouts of six registered sex offenders were unknown.
• Two had been missing since 2012, one since 2016 and three since 2017.
• Thames Valley Police
• The force said the whereabouts of 13 registered sex offenders were unknown.
• Warwickshire Police
• The force said three sex offenders were missing. Two went missing in 2014 and one in 2016.
• West Mercia Police
• The force said one sex offender had been missing since 2006.
• West Midlands Police
• The force said 46 registered sex offenders were wanted or missing. One offender had been missing since 2006, another since 2010 and one since 2011.
• Two offenders went missing in 2012, six in 2013, six in 2014, five in 2015, seven in 2016, 12 in 2017 and five in 2018.
• West Yorkshire Police
• The force said there were 10 registered sex offenders wanted for breaching of registration requirements.
• Three of the offenders are known to be living outside the UK and four offenders have been wanted for more than a year.
• Wiltshire Police
• Sky News did not receive a response.

Michelle Skeer, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for the Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders, said: “The number of recorded wanted or missing sex offenders represents less than 1% of the total and a proportion of these are, following investigation, either known or believed to be living abroad or have returned to their country of origin.

“When registered sex offenders are missing or wanted in the UK, all police forces are alerted. If they return to the UK, there are processes in place to ensure that they are brought to the attention of police and arrested where appropriate.

“The UK has some of the most effective tools in the world to manage registered sex offenders.

“While the reality is that the risks posed to the public by such individuals can never be completely eliminated, there is significant evidence that the multi-agency public protection arrangements successfully keeps them to a minimum.”

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