British Home Secretary Suella Braverman is set to introduce legislation prohibiting sex offenders from changing their name or gender to avoid their identity being listed on the sex offenders register.
Several government agencies, including the Department for Work and Pensions, the British Passport Office, the DVLA, and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), will merge so that if their personal details do change, the DBS will be immediately notified.
The current law requires sex offenders to register their new names with the police within three days of the change, with the onus being placed solely on the sex offender – a convicted criminal – to comply with the law.
There were roughly 12,000 sex offenders between 2019 and 2022 who did not register their new identity with the police. Many used their new names to evade the police and find employment in schools or homes where they went on to re-offend.
“No longer will the rights of a sex offender be given priority over the protection of societies most vulnerable,” stated the chief executive of the Safeguarding Alliance, Emily Konstantas.
“This change could not have come quick enough and is the biggest change to safeguarding legislation to date,” she added.
show less