POLICE have insisted that proper measures are in place to protect the community after concerns were raised over a convicted sex offender believed to be living in Cardross.

A worried village resident contacted the Reporter in response to reports that a man who had pleaded guilty to downloading and possessing indecent images of children over a 12-year period from 2006 to 2018, and had been given a community-based punishment, had moved to Cardross from Renfrew.

A Cardross resident, who asked not to be identified, said: “I’m a parent and I’m very, very concerned.

“He’s living near a nursery, near shops and near roads that kids walk down every day.

“Everybody’s entitled to live. I’m not saying they’ll do it again.

"But I do believe that once you’ve done something like that you get a taste for it.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said detailed arrangements were in place for the management of sex offenders across Scotland through the Scottish Government’s MAPPA framework.

MAPPA – Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements – sees the police, Scottish Prison Service, NHS and councils work together to assess and manage the risks posed by certain types of offender – including those convicted of sex offences.

The spokesperson told the Reporter: “Police Scotland, working with our MAPPA partners, manages registered sex offenders across all of Scotland’s communities on a daily basis.

"Every single offender is assessed and managed in line with the risk they present.

“Protecting the public is a top priority for Police Scotland. MAPPA provides a comprehensive response to a complex issue, using professional assessment and management to properly target resources at those who pose a risk to the public.

“Information sharing between the MAPPA partners and initial risk assessments take place for all offenders, regardless of the level of risk management, and offenders can be managed at different levels throughout their period of notification or supervision.

“A number of measures can be put in place to manage offenders in the community and these are monitored by dedicated police officers and partner organisations.”