The number of registered sex offenders living in Chatham-Kent jumped significantly last year.
Data from Chatham-Kent police showed the number of sex offenders registered on the Ontario Sex Offender Registry living in the municipality in 2023 increased by 15 from 2022 to a total of 314. Police noted three of them are females.
The police data showed the highest percentage of local registered sex offenders are 70 and older (22.3%) while the lowest percentage are those in their 20s (5.7%).
Police said four sex offenders were arrested last year for not complying with their obligations under the law and one was still not compliant when the 2023 Operational Support report was written prior to being released this week. Chatham-Kent police is reminding the public that their police service remains one of the top police agencies in Ontario for sex offender compliance.
A sex offender registry allows authorities to keep track of sex offenders.
According to the Sex Offender Information Registration Act, sex offenders in Canada must register in most cases within seven days after being ordered by a court. The information provided by the offender includes their full name, date of birth, gender, contact details, physical description, address of educational institution, vehicle details, driver’s licence number, and passport number. Any change in information must also be reported within seven days.
The sex offender registry is not public and can only be accessed by Canadian police agencies.
The number of sex offenders registered with Chatham-Kent police grew by 10 in 2022.
Police also noted in their annual report that child abuse cases went up slightly last year, but has remained relatively flat over the past four years. Police data showed 15 arrests and 68 total charges, up from 12 arrests and 60 total charges the year before.
Police also said more resources were focused on investigating internet child exploitation in 2023 and it proved to be a good move netting more arrests and more charges. Police reported 15 arrests, up from 12, and 56 charges, an increase of one.
Meanwhile, Crime Stoppers in Chatham-Kent are reporting an increase in calls and weapons recovered last year. They said 543 calls were received in 2023 compared to 479 the previous year. Tips also led to 34 weapons recovered in 2023 compared to five in 2022.
Anonymous tips to Chatham-Kent Crime Stoppers also led to the recovery of $1 million in illicit drugs last year, according to police statistics.