FIGURES released last night show 324 convicted sex offenders are currently living in Oxfordshire.

The number being monitored by the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (Mappa) is the highest since annual countywide statistics were first published three years ago.

Across the Thames Valley this year, 69 convicted sex offenders have been returned to prison or convicted for committing further crimes while serving their sentence in the community.

Of that total, 50 were returned to jail for breaching terms of their licence, four for breaching their sexual offenders’ prevention orders and 15 were cautioned or convicted for failing to notify authorities of changes in address or personal circumstances.

Last year, 15 sex offenders were jailed for committing further crimes while under Mappa.

But none of the 324 sex offenders in Oxfordshire – or 1,111 in the Thames Valley – have committed a serious violent or sexual crime while in the community.

Paul Gillbard, chairman of Thames Valley Mappa, said: “We believe the arrangements in Oxfordshire work in a robust manner, as we get more people taken before the courts when they have committed a misdemeanor – even minor ones such as registration or notification of a change of address.

“Our priority is to manage people who are in the community.

“Whether they’re the right people is a matter for political debate.

“But we will continue to manage these people as robustly as possible.”

The 324 sex offenders in Oxfordshire is an increase from 305 last year, 323 in 2007, and 306 in 2006.

Monitoring is carried out by police and the probation service, which work alongside Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust, the youth offending service, local mental health trusts and housing authorities.

Mappa also monitors serious and violent offenders serving their sentence in the community or on licence from prison.

Across the Thames Valley, 1,782 violent and sex offenders have been monitored over the past 12 months. There are no separate figures for Oxfordshire.

Police can inform schools if a convicted sex offender moves into the area and will take a decision to inform anyone who enters into a relationship with a sexual offender about their convictions.

Det Supt Claire Stevens, of Thames Valley Police, said the number of sex offenders monitored in the community would grow for the next few years.

She added: “We can never eliminate all risk, but Mappa arrangements go a long way in managing the risk.

“Controlled disclosure is a sensible way forward but we are not looking at openly publishing names and addresses. We’ve had no serious further offences in the higher (sexual or violent) categories which indicates the Mappa process is working well, but we are never complacent.”