Lamont: Placing sex offenders on register is not enough

Figures released today following a parliamentary question show a sharp increase in the number of sex offenders reported for breaches of requirements to notify from 135 to 175 over the past year.

This follows similar figures published earlier in the year that showed the number of breaches in sex offender orders had increased from 79 to 100 in the last twelve months.

John Lamont MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice, said:

"These figures again go to prove that merely placing somebody on the sex offenders register is not enough and that the current measures in place need to be far more robust.

"Under pressure from the Scottish Conservatives, the Scottish Government last year adopted a pilot scheme whereby parents can check with police if someone close to their children has a history of child sex offending. While the Tayside pilot was a great success and I am delighted that it is being rolled out across the rest of the country, more has to be done.

"We have repeatedly called for GPS tracking and lie detectors for sex offenders as well as backing the Association of Chief Police Officers in their push to have sex offenders locked up indefinitely until experts no longer consider them a risk.

"We are pushing for these measures because protecting our communities from these vile and abhorrent people must be our priority and we have to do everything within our power to reduce the risk they pose to our children."

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