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Sex offenders approach outlined Offender satellite tracking move
(1 day later)
The Scottish government is to outline its plans for managing sex offenders. The Scottish Government is considering the use of lie detectors and satellite tracking to ensure the tighter policing of sex offenders.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said the problem lay with a small, but highly dangerous group of offenders.
The SNP administration has already begun work on proposals to release the names and pictures of offenders who have gone on the run.The SNP administration has already begun work on proposals to release the names and pictures of offenders who have gone on the run.
Moves are under way with police and prosecutors to deliver a publishing scheme "in the coming months". Mr MacAskill outlined the plans to MSPs at the Scottish Parliament.
Satellite tracking for serious offenders, proposed by the Scots Tories, has also been discussed, along with introducing lie detector tests. The sex offender proposal is an issue which has attracted a level of cross-party consensus at Holyrood.
The government's plans on sex offenders - an issue which has attracted a level of cross-party consensus - will be outlined to Holyrood. If a sex offender goes missing and fails to comply, then the response will be tough Kenny MacAskill MSPJustice secretary
Kenny MacAskill, now Scotland's justice secretary, was part of a committee of MSPs in the last parliament, which rejected publicising the names of all such offenders. Mr MacAskill also said he wanted to build on past achievements, which included a tightening of bail for sex offenders and giving courts powers to impose supervision and monitoring arrangements.
'Heart-rending' agony He added: "If a sex offender goes missing and fails to comply, then the response will be tough.
The move had been called for by Margaret-Ann Cummings, whose young son Mark was murdered by a convicted sex offender in Glasgow. "We will give the police and local procurator fiscal all the support and powers they need to track them down. And that includes, where appropriate and subject to the guidance of police and the Crown, publishing photos on the internet and elsewhere."
The Scottish Liberal Democrats said that was the right decision, but added there was still potential for change. The justice secretary said the use of satellite tracking and polygraph tests - policies put forward by the Scottish Conservatives - would be looked into, but warned that they could not guarantee absolute security.
"We think police should have the power to apply for an extension to the period for which an offender can stay on the Sex Offenders Register," said a party spokesman.
Scottish Labour has backed making public the identities of predatory sex offenders whose behaviour caused concern as well as bringing in legislation for agencies to share information when a child is at risk.
Conservative justice spokesman Bill Aitken said Scotland did not have a major problem with numbers of sex offenders.
"The amount of grief, the amount of agony which these people can cause can, in certain instances, be little short of heart-rending," he added.