Sex pests on the doorstep

There are currently 135 people signing the Sex Offenders Register in Rochdale, the seventh highest in Greater Manchester.

The number of Registered Sexual Offenders in the town is above the levels in South Manchester, Bury, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford, while North Manchester, Manchester city centre, Bolton, Oldham, Salford and Wigan each have a higher number of offenders.

There are 1,707 registered offenders in Greater Manchester, 834 violent offenders and 20 dangerous offenders. Over the past 12 months 62 have been cautioned or convicted for breaching the terms of their order.

The figures have been made available in a report by MAPPA — the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements.

The report outlines key developments in work carried out by the police, probation and prison service over the last year to protect communities from the risk posed by dangerous offenders, including those convicted of sexual and violent offences.

In the last 12 months, 296 high-risk offenders have been subject to monitoring through MAPPA.

Det Supt Phil Owen, MAPPA strategic management board chairman, said: “Protecting people is our priority and MAPPA helps to ensure all serious offenders are rigorously managed and monitored by specially trained staff.

“The total number of registered sex offenders in the community has decreased slightly this year — this is because more offenders came to the end of registration requirements during this period.

“The significant drop of nearly 40% in the number of sex offenders being cautioned or convicted for a breach is reassuring and shows that we are meeting the challenge of protecting people and managing the risks.

“We know the impact these offences can have on victims and families and that is why MAPPA in Greater Manchester is so important to us. Together, we are determined to continue to strengthen this work.”