Silence on foreign offenders as Lewisham records 3rd highest level of registered sex offenders in London: Part one of two
A sobering report on the number of registered sex offenders in the country has Lewisham occupying third place in London with 164 (Lambeth has the most: 184, followed by Waltham Forest on 165). A lot of work takes place between different agencies that co-operate in managing these people including Britons who offend overseas. However, the issue of non-British offenders is glaringly absent.

Such activities are part of the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in place for London. Key agencies are the Metropolitan Police Service, City of London Police, London Probation and Her Majesty’s Prison Service London Area. Other agencies have a statutory duty to co-operate like Youth Offending Teams, Jobcentre Plus, departments in education, housing and health, and electronic monitoring organizations. However, there is no mention of the Immigration and Nationality Department. It was only in June 2006 that the National Probation Office issued an urgent alert on foreign national prisoners including those that fall within the remit of MAPPA as being of interest to the IND.

It seems to me that while it is comforting to know that Britons who commit sex crimes overseas are on the Sex Offender Register (and the Home Office underscore the improved communication between the UK and foreign authorities), we need to know what process is in hand to deport foreign sex offenders from these shores, and what is the role of the IND…