Rising number of sex offenders living in city
More than 230 sex offenders are now living in Wolverhampton, official figures revealed today as it emerged that the number of violent and dangerous criminals in the West Midlands has also soared.
More than 230 sex offenders are now living in Wolverhampton, official figures revealed today as it emerged that the number of violent and dangerous criminals in the West Midlands has also soared.
Rising numbers of sex attackers and paedophiles are living on the region's streets. In the West Midlands Police area, officers are monitoring 1,081 dangerous criminals, up from 1,000 last year. A total of 234 sex offenders have homes in Wolverhampton compared with 200 last year.
The number of high-risk sex criminals in the West Midlands has soared by 56 per cent in the past six years.
The figures show the number of sex offenders considered a danger to the public is up from 1,312 in 2002-03 to 2,043.
Across the Black Country, 256 sex offenders have addresses in Sandwell, 185 in Walsall and 187 in Dudley borough.
The number registered with Staffordshire Police has almost doubled during the past six years from 365 to 694, although it has dropped by two in the past year.
Police are monitoring a total of 895 violent of dangerous criminals, including sex offenders, which is down from 920 last year.
Of those, 47 have been sent back to prison for breaking their release licences, up from 39 last year. Another has been convicted of a serious offence and a further offender has been charged with committing a serious offence.
The number of high-risk offenders monitored by officers at West Mercia Police, which covers Shropshire, has risen 40 per cent from 524 to 734.
Nationally, the number of registered sex offenders across England and Wales has gone up by 51 per cent from 21,415 to 32,336.
The data was compiled by Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements.
Det Supt Cath Hannon, of West Midlands Police, said: "Although serious violent and sexual offending makes up a small proportion of all recorded crime, it inevitably causes the greatest concern.
"While risk can never be totally eliminated, it can be managed with public protection as a priority for every agency involved in the Mappa arrangements."