THE NUMBER of registered sex offenders in the Dyfed-Powys Police force area rose by almost three per cent in a 12-month period, Ministry of Justice figures show.

There were 604 registered sex offenders in the Dyfed-Powys Police area on March 31, 2023, according to the latest figures published by the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service for 2022-23.

This rose from 587 in the 2021-22 figures.

The South Wales Police force area had the highest number of sex offenders in the latest set of Ministry of Justice figures – rising from 1,711 in 2021-22 to 1,778 – while North Wales Police saw a rise from 1,019 in 2021-22 to 1,023 in 2022-23.

The number of sex offenders registered in the Gwent Police area fell from 868 in the 2021-22 figures to 824 in the 2022-23 data.

Despite the rise in the number of registered sex offenders in the Dyfed-Powys Police force area, it remains the lowest number in Wales per 100,000 population.

There were 129 sex offenders per 100,000 population in the Dyfed-Powys Police force area in the latest figures, compared to 152 in South Wales, 158 in Gwent, and 166 in North Wales.

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It is worth noting that these figures are constantly changing – for example due to court orders being imposed and or expiring.

A Freedom of Information Act response published by Dyfed-Powys Police on January 15 revealed there were 794 registered sex offenders in the force area on October 5, 2023 – 41 of which were aged 18 to 24 and four were under 18.

According to the Ministry of Justice figures, the Teesside area had the highest rate of sex offenders per 100,000 population (222) across England and Wales, while a further three police forces had a higher rate than North Wales – Lancashire (218), County Durham (178), and Humberside (170).

A total of 17 police force areas across England and Wales had a lower number of sex offenders per 100,000 population than in the Dyfed-Powys Police force area. Hertfordshire Police had the lowest rate of registered offenders in their region, with 77 per 100,000 population.

Advice and information for those affected by these crimes – including how to report offenders – can be found at dyfed-powys.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information.

And specifically relating to child sex offences, the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme – also known as Sarah’s Law – allows people to ask the police whether someone who has contact with a child as a record for child sex offences or poses a risk to children. Information on this can be found on the Dyfed-Powys Police website.