A FRESH way of monitoring released sex offenders in County Durham and Darlington has received national acclaim.

A seven-strong public protection team, brought together two-and-a-half years ago to monitor and supervise convicted sex offenders released back into the community, has been deemed a remarkable success.

Now a new national database on sexual and violent offenders is to piloted in the area.

Believed to be the first unit of its kind in Britain, the team of specialist police and probation officers supported by health and housing authorities, social services, the youth offending service and prison staff, work together to minimise risks to adults and children.

Since January 2000, the unit has carried out detailed risk assessments and monitored the lifestyles of nearly 350 registered offenders throughout County Durham and Darlington. Only 1.4pc are known to have re-offended in that time.

Officers visit offenders in jail and then carry out home visits once they are released to assess any risks they pose to the community. Regular and frequent reviews are carried out if the risk of re-offending is believed to be high.

Other violent offenders, who pose a potential high risk within the community, are monitored through multi-agency protection panels where relevant agencies work together to reduce risk.

Det Chief Supt Ian Scott, Durham police's head of CID, said: "We make no claims the unit can prevent any one of them from re-offending. But the two services are doing everything within their power to ensure the risk to innocent adults and children is kept to an absolute minimum."

The first national report on the panels and registered sex offenders was released on Monday.

Sue Hine, who chairs the County Durham and Darlington public protection strategy group, added: "The work of the County Durham unit is receiving national recognition. We have recently been selected to pilot Visor, a new national database on sexual and violent offenders, and also to pilot the appointment of lay members to the strategy group.

"It is a credit to the hard work of the staff on the unit."