Violent and Sex Offender Register

In the United Kingdom, the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) is a database that can be accessed by the Police and the Probation Service. The database holds records of those required to register with the Police under the Sex Offenders Act 1997 (as updated by the Sexual Offences Act 2003), jailed for more than 12 months for violent offences, and unconvicted people thought to be at risk of offending.

In addition to name and address records, the database also holds photographs, the risk assessment for each offender, their modus operandi, and an audit trail. ViSOR is also linked to the Police National Computer.

Sex offenders subject to the register must inform the Police within 3 days of moving home or changing their name, and confirm their registration annually, or face up to five years in prison.

ViSOR was build following a 2000 recommendation by HM Inspectorate of Probation but, in common with other government IT projects, has been subject to delays and doubts over data security and access [1]. The system was originally scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2003. Prior to the database, records were held locally.

See also

• HOLMES
• National Identity Register
• UK topics

External links

• PITO on ViSOR