Parents set for right to check up on sex offenders

PARENTS will soon be able to check with police whether sex offenders have access to their children as a new protection scheme is rolled out in the Lothians.

The Keeping Children Safe programme is set to be launched in the force area on March 31 following a successful pilot project in Tayside.

The initiative will allow parents and guardians to ask Lothian and Borders Police if a person with contact to their child has a record of sex offences against youngsters, or other offences that might put them at risk.

Children's charities today called the imminent launch a "significant step in the right direction" for protecting under-18s from potential sexual predators.

Under the scheme, parents or guardians will be given details on any relevant offences as a protective measure. If police deem there to be a serious or immediate risk against the child, safety measures will be taken by the force to protect them.

A Keeping Children Safe co-ordinator is set to be appointed by the force to administer the programme, with 30,000 being spent to advertise the new service in the community.

The scheme has already gone "live" in Tayside, Fife and Central Scotland, while Dumfries and Galloway, Northern and Grampian are set to begin their service on Monday.

In total, there were 53 inquiries made over the course of the Tayside pilot, with the majority coming from parents.

Anne Houston, chief executive of Children 1st, said: "We worked with the Scottish Government and the police to develop this initiative, and thus far it has proved to be an effective measure to help protect Scotland's children."

The 36-week Tayside pilot led to one registered sex offender being returned to prison for breaching bail conditions, and triggered 25 child concern reports.

Gavin Brown, Lothians Tory MSP, said: "The Tayside pilot was a great success and I welcome the fact that it is going to be rolled out across the Lothians."

Figures from December showed that 583 registered sex offenders were living in Lothian and Borders.

In September, figures revealed that 49 of these sex offenders were the subject of Sopos (sexual offence prevention orders), which can impose restrictions on where a person can live and ban them from approaching children.

A police spokeswoman said: "The scheme provides a formal route for parents, carers or guardians of children, where they can ask police to tell them if a person has a record for sexual offences against children or offences that might put a child a risk."