DOZENS of visits to check on sex offenders have been missed by Essex Police.

A force performance review revealed the management of sex offenders and violent offenders team are currently managing more than 1,500 registered sex offenders (RSOs).

Part of the role involves monitoring offenders to check they are not breaching orders or re-offending.

The latest figures, from assistant chief constable Andy Prophet, revealed 85 visits were missed in April alone.

Previous victim Rhys Dickinson, who waived his anonymity to share his story of child sex abuse in December, said the force needs to make sure society’s most vulnerable people are being protected.

The 22-year-old, from Benfleet, said: “It’s certainly distressing to know that some sex offenders are not up to date with visits from officers in the community.

“People like the person who abused me could be going unchecked and there could be a risk of reoffending if police aren’t up to date with visits.

“Obviously the police are stretched with their resources but it’s something that has to be addressed and we need to make sure we’re protecting the young and most vulnerable in our community from people that are known sex offenders.”

Essex Police say the outstanding visits apply to those sex offenders who post the lowest risk.

Det Chief Insp Hayley King, from the crime and public protection unit, said: “Our specialist teams work diligently to protect the public and manage the risks presented by registered sex offenders.

“Each one has a special management plan in place to keep communities safe and we visit them regularly to ensure they are complying with the strict conditions imposed.

“The visits are unannounced and we will act swiftly and appropriately if we receive any information between visits that they are at risk of offending.

“People who we believe pose a higher risk of re-offending have a tougher regime of visits and monitoring in their plan than people who we believe pose a lower risk.

“This quarter, we have seen a fall in the number of outstanding visits.

“These apply to only five per cent of all registered sex offenders in Essex and are those we consider to be at the lowest possible risk of re-offending.

“We are constantly reviewing our internal processes and we work closely with the probation service to carry out as many visits as possible.

“The increase in the number of offenders we manage highlights the excellent work of our teams in identifying and bringing them to justice.

“This includes our police online investigation team, who have recently created a proactive team to identify offenders, carry out search warrants and safeguard more victims.” The number of RSOs in Essex is rising.