The number of registered sex offenders in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley & Doncaster, 10 of whom are missing

There are more than 1,900 registered sex offenders living in South Yorkshire, with five known to have been missing for over a year.

South Yorkshire Police has responded to a Freedom of Information request by The Star about the number of people on the sex offenders register in Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham.

Its figures show there are a total of 1,939 registered sex offenders currently living in South Yorkshire, with 676 in Sheffield, 543 in Doncaster, 389 in Rotherham, and 331 in Barnsley.

The force said a total of 10 registered sex offenders were known to be missing in South Yorkshire, incuding five in Sheffield, three in Doncaster and two in Rotherham.

Five people on the sex offenders register - three in Sheffield and two in Doncaster - are known to have been missing for more than a year.

The force said it was unable to confirm how many of those offenders were on the register for offences against children as it would be too time-consuming to obtain that information.

What is the sex offenders register?

People placed on the sex offenders register are required to notify the police of personal information such as their name, address and bank and credit card details, and to update the police whenever this information changes.

The requirement can be imposed for a fixed or indefinite period, depending upon the sentence, with the penalty for breaching the requirement ranging from a fine to up to five years in prison.

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There is no general public access to the register but the child sex offender disclosure scheme allows parents, carers and guardians to formally ask the police to tell them if someone has a record for child sexual offences.

What has South Yorkshire Police said about the figures?

South Yorkshire Police said: "As of February 2024, South Yorkshire Police has 10 Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs) who are classed as missing. This is a snapshot in time of a constantly moving picture, and is less than one per cent of the total number of RSOs managed in the community.

"Half of these RSOs are considered ‘short term’ cases. This can include those who have failed to attend a scheduled appointment at a police station on a certain date. Of the RSOs who have been missing for more than one year, five are believed to be abroad.

"South Yorkshire Police has dedicated VISOR (Violent and Sex Offender Register) teams in each district. Each RSO living in the community has an allocated ‘manager’ in their local VISOR team, who will know them well and monitors and reviews risk regularly.

"When an RSO is flagged as missing or wanted, their ‘manager’ will begin the process of making contact and locating them. The RSO will also be circulated on PNC – a national police system – as a further tactic to help ensure their swift location."