Registered Sex Offender (RSO) Numbers
As part of our commitment to demonstrate openness and transparency in respect of the information we hold, Police Scotland will, on a monthly basis, publish data regarding the number of Registered Sex Offenders in our communities, broken down by policing division and postcode area.
Data will not be published for a small number of postcode areas where the population of the area in question is particularly low and it is assessed that publication would lead to individuals being identified.
Any enquiries for data not covered by this publication should be directed to the Police Scotland FOI team at FOI@scotland.pnn.police.uk.
Protecting the public is a priority for Police Scotland. While we can never eliminate risk entirely, we want to reassure communities that all reasonable steps are being taken to protect them.
We put in place measures to minimise the likelihood of further sexual re-offending by Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs) and would seek to re-assure people that sexual re-offending rates remain extremely low.
RSOs are robustly managed by the police and our partners through the Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA), and subject to comprehensive risk assessment and risk management in the community. Police Scotland has units of dedicated officers specially trained for this task.
Registered Sex Offenders by Division
Registered Sex Offenders by Postcode
Wanted / Missing RSOs
What is the difference between a wanted and missing sex offender?
A missing person is defined as anyone whose whereabouts is unknown and:
- where the circumstances are out of character or
- the context suggests the person may be subject to crime or
- the person is at risk of harm to themselves or another.
A wanted Registered Sex Offender is defined as those who are subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and who have a live warrant in force.
Police Scotland treats all missing and wanted Registered Sex Offenders with the utmost seriousness and will carry out all possible enquiries to trace their whereabouts and to re-establish the management required to protect the public.
On all occasions a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) of a rank no less than Inspector will be appointed to lead these investigations.
As of 31 October, 2024, Police Scotland has 18 Wanted Registered Sex Offenders and 0 Missing Registered Sex Offenders. Enquiries to date indicate that 12 of the 18 wanted or missing Registered Sex Offenders have left the UK.
