Police enacted rarely used legislation to search the home of a registered sex offender in Northampton

The rarely used legislation enables officers to search addresses of sex offenders, who refuse to let officers inside
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Police were able to search the home of a registered sex offender in Northampton yesterday (December 22) after enacting rarely used legislation to secure a warrant.

The legislation enables officers to search addresses of sex offenders when they refuse to let police access their property.

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The warrant was applied for in court on Monday (December 21) and police searched the Northampton address yesterday (December 22) for evidence that the man was complying with the terms of his Sex Offender Notification Requirements.

The sex offender remained handcuffed whilst police officers searched his property in Northampton.The sex offender remained handcuffed whilst police officers searched his property in Northampton.
The sex offender remained handcuffed whilst police officers searched his property in Northampton.

Head of Public Protection, Detective Superintendent Rich Tompkins, said: “This is a useful piece of legislation which enables us to robustly manage sex offenders in order to assess any risk they pose to the public.

“Yesterday, I attended court to secure the warrant and today, officers from the Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders) MOSOSVO team forced entry to the address.

“They carried out a thorough search of the property for any evidence there were breaches of the man’s sexual harm prevention order – if there were, he would have been recalled to prison.”

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The sex offender was placed in handcuffs whilst police officers searched his property.

The same team of officers later charged and remanded another Northampton man who failed to adhere to the conditions imposed by the Sex Offences Act.

Mr Tompkins added: “This force takes a tough stance in its management of sex offenders and these warrants enable us to manage them robustly and effectively safeguard our communities in the process.

“Even though the work of the MOSOVO team is necessarily discreet and of a sensitive nature, the public can rest assured we clamp down hard on anybody failing to comply.

“My message to this county’s registered sex offenders is a simple one: Open the door or we’ll open it for you.”