The Herald can reveal that in the two years since the site, run by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop), has been available to Scottish police forces, the details of only one absconding sex offender have been posted. And only four of Scotland’s eight forces have made use of Ceop intelligence in those two years.

There are 28 sex offenders currently on the run in Scotland, seven more than last year, with 22 suspected to have disappeared abroad.

More than 3000 sex offenders live in Scottish communities -- 1197 of them in the Strathclyde Police area.

Central Scotland Police were yesterday continuing their hunt for Davinder Singh, 31, who was convicted of a sexual offence against a 15-year-old girl in February 2007 and has not been seen for six months.

Singh was fined and placed on the sex offenders’ register but failed to comply with registration requirements. It is thought he may be in England.

Scottish police were given permission two years ago to publish photographs and details of missing child sex offenders on the Ceop website as part of a global approach to detection.

The move was to apply to people on the sex offenders’ register who breach the terms of registration, typically by leaving their known address without telling police. To have their photograph put on the website, they would also have to be judged a danger to the public. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said it was a “powerful new tool”.

John Lamont MSP, the Conservatives’ Shadow Minister for Community Safety who is pushing for tougher action to stop sex offenders slipping through the next was “alarmed” by the lack of use of the site. He said: “It is very odd that only one from Scotland has appeared on the site as it could be very useful.”

He was also concerned it took six months to raise a public alert over Mr Singh.

“Sex crimes, particularly involving children are abhorrent. I hope that urgent checks are underway to make sure that the public is being properly protected. We must be warned when sex offenders are on the run.”

The Most Wanted website has helped locate 15 child sex offenders since it was launched in the UK three years ago.

They include the first and only Scottish force case to be make it on to the site. Joseph Millbank, 48, who went on the run and posed a “significant threat” to children, was posted in July last year. He traced to the South of France and arrested.

He was later recalled to prison to resume a 10-year sentence for abusing children and taking indecent pictures of youngsters.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Exactly how a police force decides to publicise details of sex offender is a matter for them, based on specific intelligence and a professional assessment of risk.

“The Justice Secretary has repeatedly made clear that where a high risk sex offender goes ‘missing’ all options must be considered.”

Ceop said its offender management team and police forces have to exhaust all lines of inquiry before a case was considered for Most Wanted.

 

 

Electronic ‘flags’ for escape prisoners

Convicts with a history of escapes will have their files marked with an electronic “flag” as part of attempts to improve security at Scotland’s open prisons.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill accepted seven of nine recommendations made after inmates went on the run from Castle Huntly open prison near Dundee. He also ordered a further review by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Brigadier Hugh Monro to ensure progress is made.

Mr MacAskill said: “I am sure that the Scottish Prison Service will apply the revised process rigorously. However, and while the rate of absconds has fallen dramatically, the Scottish Government will never be complacent about public safety.”

Professor Alec Spencer, of Stirling University, drew up the recommendations in June after high-profile escapes put pressure on the Justice Secretary.

Brian “Hawk” Martin, 51, who was serving 10 years for firearms offences, absconded from Castle Huntly in May. Also that month, killer John Brown, 57, went on the run after being granted home leave.

He was found dead in The Gambia, in November.