Area sex offender numbers steady

The number of registered sex offenders (RSOs) in the Thames Valley area has decreased slightly in the past year, a government report has revealed.

Latest figures released by the Ministry of Justice showed the region had the fifth lowest number of RSOs in England and Wales, the same as last year.

There were 969 RSOs in the Thames Valley, down from 982 last year.

The annual RSO report is carried out to highlight the work of Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).

The figure for the Thames Valley equates to 46 RSOs per 100,000 people up to 31 March this year. The national average is 57.4.

RSOs in the Thames Valley area Oxfordshire: 305 (population: 631,900) Berkshire West: 233 (445,400) Berkshire East: 141 (370,500) Buckinghamshire: 155 (487,300) Milton Keynes: 135 (224,800) Download the full report

MAPPA places a duty on Thames Valley Police, Thames Valley Probation and the Prison Service to manage the risk posed by offenders in the community.

Paul Gillbard, director of offender management for Thames Valley Probation, said: "Recent changes in the law and working practices of all the agencies involved in MAPPA now mean that such people are monitored far more closely than in the past.

"This is borne out by the fact that, once again, no serious offences have been committed by those high risk offenders jointly managed by MAPPA in Thames Valley."

Det Ch Insp Tim Price, public protection officer, said: "While we can never eliminate the risk completely, we have a good track record for effectively managing offenders in Thames Valley and it is our intention that this continues in the future."