August 21, 2008: Tightening Controls For Sex Offenders

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced new measures to strengthen the travel restrictions on convicted child sex offenders, building on the UK's already tough rules.

Key measures announced include:

• requiring registered sex offenders to notify the police earlier of their intentions to travel abroad
• automatic removal of an individual���s passport when they are subject to a blanket foreign travel order
• extending the duration of a foreign travel order (currently 6 months)

The changes follow consultation with police and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Agency (CEOP). The Home Secretary is considering further restrictions on passport access for convicted child sex offenders.

There is also a possibility that the upper age limit for children considered at risk could be raised. Currently the law protects those 16 and under, but that could be increased to 18 in some circumstances. Ms Smith  emphasised that the UK's rigorous system for managing child sex offenders is already among the toughest in the world:

'The changes I’m announcing today will strengthen that even further. I want to see anyone who poses a threat to our children dealt with as firmly as possible,' she said. 'I’ve spoken to child protection experts and the police and they have told me that these changes will further restrict the ability of child sex offenders to harm children both here and overseas.'

'I will legislate for these measures as soon as possible.'

At the moment, anyone convicted of a child sex offence automatically goes on the sex offenders register, as outlined by the Sex Offenders Act (1997). The severity of their sentence determines how long they stay on the register. A cross-governmental agency made up of made up of police, probation service, prison service and other agencies oversees sex offenders after they are released from prison.

To prevent convicted offenders from committing further sexual offences either here or against children abroad, police can apply for a sexual offences prevention order or a foreign travel order. These orders can either ban travel to specific countries or they can be more wide-ranging - banning all overseas travel.

However, offenders are not currently required to hand over their passports, and the orders are limited to six months. The government is now considering extending that limit to five years.

Police can also issue sexual offences prevention orders, but these require recent evidence proving that such an order is necessary to protect the public. The rules are quite restrictive, requiring that evidence must have been gathered within the last six months. Those restrictions make it difficult for the police to obtain a protective order in some circumstances.