Rapists and paedophiles lost in London whilst on supervision

Posted by GLA Conservatives in Blog   Share2013

Nov
28

‘With 159 serious sex offenders wanted or missing in London alone¹, how many crooks have been ‘lost’ across the UK?’

63 serious sex offenders have gone completely missing in London, whilst on supervision.

Under “Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements” (MAPPA)², the national probation service, HM prison service and the Met are responsible for managing serious sexual and violent criminals, once they complete their sentence. However, the Met only holds data for sex offenders such as rapists and paedophiles.

A further 96 serious sex criminals are ‘wanted’ by police, mainly for breaching their notification requirements – failing to inform the police of details such as home address and passport details. In an FOI response, police say they ‘believe’ these 96 wanted offenders are living abroad in countries where sex offender legislation is perhaps not as robust.

Conservative London Assembly Member Tony Arbour, who obtained the sickening figures, said:

“The public will be alarmed that the authorities are losing serious criminals such as rapists and paedophiles who may then go on to commit further crimes. With 159 serious sex offenders currently missing or wanted just in London alone, how many crooks have been lost across the UK? The real figure could be much higher once we take account of serious violent offenders, data which is held separately by the national probation service.”

“Urgent questions need to be asked; is there sufficient communication taking place between the police, prison, and probation service, is there a lead authority taking responsibility for these cases, is everything possible being done to obtain vital offender details such as addresses, bank and passport details before they are released, and why isn’t data on sexual and violent offenders being held in one place. If some of the ‘wanted’ offenders have left the country, as the police say, what is to stop them from re-entering our borders? The public needs assurance that they are safe from serious sexual or violent criminals once they have completed their punishment and that is why I will carry out a further investigation into the supervision of these high level villains.”

 
References
¹ The 159 figure is current as of 18th September 2013, the date of the FOI disclosure by the Met police. Out of 159, 63 are missing, with police unaware of their current location, while 96 are ‘wanted’ by police, mainly for breaching their ‘notification requirements’ – failing to inform the police of certain details such as home address, travel plans, or credit card / passport details³.
²Offenders managed by MAPPA include:

•   Registered sex offenders
•   Sexual or violent offenders who have received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more
•   Offenders who pose a serious risk of harm to the public