Register of sex offenders here growing four times as fast as UK

The Irish sex offenders register is growing almost four times as fast per capita as a similar register in the UK, it has emerged.

Since the Irish register was established in September 2001 338 names of convicted sex offenders, or almost 20 every month, have been added.

In the UK, where a similar register has been operational since September 1997, there are around 15,500 sex offenders on it.

A leading British expert on sex offenders, Mr Terry Thomas, said yesterday there was no evidence that the establishment of the register had resulted in a reduction in the rate of sex offences.

Mr Thomas, a reader in social work at Leeds Metropolitan University and author of Sex Crime: Sex Offending and Society, told The Irish Times little or no research was being done in Ireland, the UK or the US to determine whether a register had any impact.

"In the UK we have 97 per cent compliance in terms of people on the register doing exactly what is required of them. But really, some might say, so what? Is it actually making a difference?"

He added that one possible reason more offenders per head of population were being registered in Ireland than the UK might be because detection methods were better here, or victims might be more willing to come forward.

Ireland, the UK and US were the only countries in the world where registers were used, he said.

When the Irish register began in September 2001, 100 names were added on the first day, according to gardaí. But even if those names are stripped out, the rate of growth per million population in Ireland is still far ahead of UK trends.

The figures show that an average of just over five people per million are added to the Irish register every month in the Republic. In Britain new offenders are added at a rate of 1.4 per million per month.

The Irish register includes not only those convicted of offences in the State but also the names of convicted sex offenders from other jurisdictions who have moved here.

Its main purpose is to oblige offenders to notify gardaí when they change address. The register is maintained by the Garda working in conjunction with other agencies such as the Probation and Welfare Service.

Under Irish legislation disclosure of names on the register can be made where it is necessary to prevent "an immediate risk of crime or to alert members of the public to an apprehended danger, but only on a strict need-to-know basis", according to the Department of Justice.

In the US, where each state has its own register, police regularly hold parents' meetings in schools to inform them when a known sex offender has moved into their area.

They hand out flyers with the name, photo and new address of offenders. A detailed description of the nature of the offenders' crimes is also included on the flier.

The public are warned that if the sex offenders are victimised the police will not inform the community when other registered offenders move to the locality.