UK - 70 sex offenders live in Hartlepool – and number is on the rise across the region

Original Article

11/06/2013

Two sex offenders were hauled back to prison for breaching restrictions last year while the number of registered abusers rose across the region.

There were 70 sex offenders living in Hartlepool during 2012/13 and the total across the Teesside area stood at 559 – up from 545 a year earlier and much higher than the 417 registered in 2010/11.

The information has been released in a report on the work of the area’s multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in managing sex offenders, violent offenders and other dangerous criminals.

The report shows that Stockton has the largest number of sex offenders with 216 while 140 live in Middlesbrough and 133 in Redcar and Cleveland.

The total figure equates to 114 registered sex offenders per 100,000 people living in Teesside.

The report explains how sex offenders, violent offenders and others classed as dangerous are managed in the community through MAPPA.

It says there were no offences committed by level 2 and level 3 offenders, where there is more than one agency required to manage the offender.

There were also no serious case reviews, which are held when a child dies or suffers serious harm from abuse.

Jenny Mooney, chairman of the Teesside MAPPA strategic management board and governor of Holme House Prison, said: “I continue to be pleased with the levels of partnership working in Teesside to protect the public, particularly in such times of austerity.”

“We all know that the safety of public is paramount and MAPPA’s success is in the information sharing and partnership working to ensure that happens.”

“The fact that no serious further offences were committed under MAPPA by Level 2 or Level 3 offenders during the last year, and that there were no serious case reviews means that the arrangements are working.”
- Not really!  Ex-offenders have the lowest recidivism rate of all other ex-felons, except murderers, so you cannot justify that due to your program, in our opinion.

“People will understandably be concerned about offenders living in communities however the report provides a case study about how this works in practice and the robust arrangements that are in place. I hope this provides some reassurance that by continuing to share information, we are indeed protecting communities.”

The MAPPA process started on Teesside a number of years ago when probation, police and prisons were brought together to provide systems for the management of offenders.