Harry Fletcher: sceptical

"There's no time to interview 6,000 sex offenders" Dur: 3'11"

Probation Officers Say Paedophile Register is Unworkable

Probation officers say the register is unworkable because it is up to the paedophile to register, and, they say, because of the cunning and deceitful way in which such sex offenders operate they are unlikely to come forward.

Alun Michael: paedophiles "cannot ignore the law"

The Home Office Minister insists that the Government scheme will work Dur: 2'19"

Public anxiety and outrage was the motivating force for the sex offenders register. By September 12th, people convicted of sex crimes against children will be required to fill in a form giving the police full information about them.

Harry Fletcher of the National Association of Probation Officers spoke of his concerns on BBC Radio. He said that probation staff would not have time during the holiday period to conduct the necessary interviews with 6,000 convicted offenders by September 12th.

"Had we been given a month's more notice that there was this new expectation, then I think I could have guaranteed it would be completed. But in the timescale we've got, I don't think we can guarantee that they'll be all seen," he said.

He told the World At One that staff wanted the Home Office to clarify whether information already available to the police can be transferred to the register.

Home Office minister Alun Michael tried to allay fears expressed by probation staff. He told World At One that sex offenders would have to notify the police of their movements or face "severe punishment" such as fines or imprisonment. He also accused probation officers of being ill-informed" and insisted that paedophiles released from prison "cannot ignore the law".

"The most important thing is to get the sex offenders' register up and running as quickly as possible, which is why we've worked very hard indeed with chief police officers and with the association of chief officers of probation to get systems in place," he said.

Electronic tagging: experimental

Mr Michael pointed out that the Probation Service was required to issue a notice to the offender and send a copy to the local police station. He also said the register could not be created by downloading information from current computer files because details may have changed.

The Association of Chief Police Officers has distanced itself from the probation officers' concerns. A spokesman said the police would try to contact all offenders before the Act comes into force on September 1st; it was foolish to gives guarantees, he said, but the police would aim for a 100 percent contact rate with sex offenders.

Electronic tagging is another possible way of keeping track of sex offenders. One paedophile has already agreed to be tagged in an attempt to prevent him re-offending. But the wider protection of children is very much dependent on the new sex offenders register - and inevitably it will take time to evaluate its success.