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Nearly 3,500 sex offenders live in West Midlands - and the number continues to rise.

The latest figures released show there were 3,435 registered sex offenders living in the West Midlands police force area at the end of March 2019.

This is the equivalent of one sex offender for every 732 people aged 10 and over.

The number of sex offenders per head in the area is a fifth higher than across England and Wales as a whole, which has one sex offender for every 869 people.

The number of sex offenders in West Midlands has risen by 3 per cent compared to March 2018.

It is also 52 per cent higher than at the end of 2010/11, when police force level figures began being published.

Back then there were 2,201 registered sex offenders living here - meaning numbers are now at a record high.

The figures released by the Ministry of Justice cover offenders managed by Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) aimed at preventing further offences.

Sex offenders are required to notify the police of certain details, with further notification required if any of those details change (sometimes referred to as ‘being on the sex offenders register’).

Further offences

In 2018/19, two sex offenders being monitored in West Midlands were charged with a serious further offence, and three were convicted.

As well as this, 11 serious sex offenders were returned to prison for breaching their licence conditions.

Last year, 55 sex offenders in West Midlands were also cautioned or convicted of a breach of notification requirements.

More restrictive orders can also be imposed on sex offenders, such as Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs) and previously Sexual Offences Prevention Orders (SOPOs), or notification orders.

Watch: How does the sex offenders register work?

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There were 181 SHPOs and SOPOs imposed in the area in 2018/19, and four notification orders. However, one offender breached their SOPO last year.

A legal challenge in 2010 means offenders can apply for a review of lifetime notification requirements, after at least 15 years for adults and eight years for juveniles.

A total of 24 offenders in the area had these requirements revoked in 2018/19.

Numbers across the country

Across England and Wales, there were 59,742 registered sex offenders being monitored by police at March 31, 2019.

This was a 3 per cent rise compared to 58,140 offenders being managed in March 2018.

The number of registered sex offenders has risen by 90 per cent over the past 12 years, from 31,392 in 2006/07.

Number of convictions increasing

The increase in the number of sex offenders is influenced by sentencing trends, in which the number of people convicted of sexual offences is increasing.

Additionally, many sexual offenders are required to register for long periods of time, with some registering for life.

This has a cumulative effect on the total number of offenders required to register at any one time.

MAPPA brings together the police, probation and prison services, as the responsible authority, working with other organisations such as social services, health trusts and local authorities.

Offenders eligible for MAPPA are identified and information is gathered and shared about them across relevant agencies.

The nature and level of the risk of harm they pose is assessed and a coordinated risk management plan is implemented to protect the public.

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