New plan to tackle sex offenders

The Home Office has unveiled new measures to tackle sex crimes which will see more offenders provided with drug treatments.

The pilot scheme outlined by home secretary John Reid will include an expansion of provision of drugs in what has been dubbed "chemical castration", though that term was criticised as "spin" by opposition parties.

Tony Blair told the Commons that Wednesday's move was a "sensible, worthwhile step forward".

The prime minister said the government had investigated the "possibilities of greater disclosure" following the murder of Sarah Payne.

Acknowledging the proposals do not go as far as what is happening in parts of the US, Blair told MPs they did signal a "change in practice".

"It is sensible to take this a step at a time, also to see how it works in practice because it's important that at the same time as we're doing everything we can to protect young people against sex offences we are also making sure that we protect the proper liberties of people in this country," he added.

However, Conservative leader David Cameron accused the government of being "completely incompetent" at protecting children and called for confirmation that data sharing systems recommended following the Soham killings would be introduced this year.

Protection

Under the Home Office plans, lie detector tests would be made compulsory for convicted paedophiles if they are suspected of committing crimes against children.

And parents will have a new right to access information about convicted paedophiles if they are concerned for the safety of their children.

These rules will apply in cases where children are left unsupervised with a suspected sex offender and will build on current legislation which enables police to inform women in relationships with convicted paedophiles.

Reid told MPs that the government would not introduce a version of the US "Megan's Law", which would enable the public to access details of child sex offenders in the community.

He announced a publicity campaign aimed at raising awareness of the circumstances surrounding child abuse, 90 per cent of which is committed by somebody close to the child.

Currently, employers can request Criminal Records Bureau checks on people who are going to work with children but members of the public cannot.

"There are few crimes more horrific than sexual offences against children," Reid said. "Ensuring that this most vulnerable group are safe is at the heart of the government's agenda."

And he told MPs that the 20 new measures, which follow review of child sex offenders, would bring "considerable improvements" to how they were managed.

"These improvements will continue our agenda of refocusing the criminal justice system on the rights of the victims - in this case innocent children - rather than on the rights of the offenders," the home secretary added.

Resources

Children's charity the NSPCC welcomed the news, arguing that "open access" to information could increase the risk by driving paedophiles underground.

But chief executive Dame Mary Marsh also warned that the new proposals could put a strain on resources.

"Agencies are already struggling to keep track of known offenders in the community," she said.

"Public requests for information about suspect individuals, who may not have committed a crime, require careful handling."

She added: "We fear the police and other agencies may not have enough officers and funding to make fully considered decisions on information sharing while keeping a grip on known offenders."