Rise of 41.5 per cent in registered sex offenders living in Lincolnshire

The force has revealed that the number of registered sex offenders living in the county has risen from 498 at the end of 2010 to the current figure of 705.

According to a spokesman there are several factors linked to this rise, namely an increase in on-line and child sexual exploitation investigations and a growth in the number of people prosecuted for indecent images and grooming offences. Referrals from outside forces and the National Crime Agency (CEOP) have also increased.

Across the country there has been an increase in the reporting of sexual offences, both current and historic. Similarly, Lincolnshire has also seen a rise in this area of reporting.

Registered sex offenders are managed in the community by risk management officers who are part of the public protection unit.

The head of the force’s public protection unit, Detective Superintendent Richard Hatton, said: “The force has increased the number of staff we have working on these investigations, the outcome is more offenders being brought to the notice of the courts and being made subject to the notification requirements.

“We have increased the number of risk management officers in line with the increase of registered sex offenders. This means registered sex offenders and the risk they pose are managed effectively within our communities.”