The number of sex offenders living in Oxfordshire has dropped.

Figures released this morning show there are 305 registered sex offenders living in the county.

They are all on a sex offenders' register that is monitored by Thames Valley Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).

The number equates to 46 per 100,000 people in Oxfordshire which is below the national average of 57.45.

Last year there were 323 sex offenders in Oxfordshire, an increase from 306 in 2006.

In August of this year there were 310 sex offenders in the county.

Acting Superintendent Tim Price, public protection lead for Thames Valley Police, said: "In addition to close working ‘on the ground’, this year we have expanded the central MAPPA unit for Thames Valley, with police and probation staff working together, which has further improved information sharing.

"While we can never eliminate the risk completely, we have a good track record for effectively managing offenders in Thames Valley and it is our intention that this continues in the future."

Paul Gillbard, director of offender management for Thames Valley Probation, said: "In the Thames Valley we feel confident that we have a workable system which should provide the local community with confidence that sex offenders and potentially dangerous persons are being managed properly and safely.

"Recent changes in the law and working practises of all the agencies involved in MAPPA now mean that such people are monitored far more closely than in the past. This is borne out by the fact that, once again, no serious offences have been committed by those high risk offenders jointly managed by MAPPA in Thames Valley."

There are 969 sex offenders in Thames Valley which is the fifth lowest number per 100,000 people in England and Wales.

The number of other offenders, including those convicted of violent offences, covered by MAPPA in the Thames Valley was 782 between April 1, 2007, and March 31,2008.

This brings the total number of all offenders who came under MAPPA during those dates to 1,751.

MAPPA places a duty on Thames Valley Police, Thames Valley Probation and the Prison Service to assess and manage risk posed by offenders in the community.

This work is done in partnership with other agencies, including Primary Care Trusts, the Youth Offending Service, mental health, local authority housing and children’s services.