THE number of registered sex offenders living in Kent has risen, according to the latest government figures.

A report into the management of offenders under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) has shown there are 983 registered sex offenders in the county, up from 941 last year, and equating to 62 per 100,000 head of population.

Of these 191 live in South Kent, 191 live in East Kent, 188 are in Mid Kent, 186 in Medway, 135 in West Kent and 92 in North Kent.

The report also identified 449 category two offenders, who have been convicted of violent crimes or sexual crimes but are not on the sex offenders register, living in Kent. This is down from 663 last year.

It is the sixth year in which annual reports have been published, following the implementation of MAPPA in 2001.

Maria Eagle, Under-Secretary of State for Justice said: "We have one of the most advanced systems in the world for monitoring and managing dangerous offenders.

"MAPPA protects the public by providing robust communication and sharing of information between all responsible authorities, but we are not complacent and continue to look for ways to improve how we manage these offenders, and how best to support those responsible for the task locally."