Police officers' perceptions of a dynamic sex offender risk assessment tool (the 'SHARP') and registered sex offenders.

The current study reports on survey results of 10 participants responsible for assessing the risk of recidivism of sex offenders on a police sex offender register. The survey aimed to gather the insights of police officers currently utilising a dynamic risk assessment tool, the 'SHARP'. The SHARP includes four risk factors and one protective factor frequently associated with sexual recidivism: exual deviance, istory of supervision violation, ntisocial orientation, isky environment and rotective factors.

Police Officers' Perceptions of a Sex Offender Registration Scheme: Identifying and Responding to Risk.

This article reports on interviews with 17 participants responsible for managing sex offenders on a sex offender register scheme. Semi-structured interviews were conducted that covered the topics of the participants' policing experience and their thoughts on the register and risk assessment. Nine themes were identified as being particularly important: the purpose of the register; concerns about community perceptions; a lack of resources; recognition that risk assessment is essential but limited; a desire to tailor interventions to individual offenders; the need for more training despite staff competency; the inadequate sharing of information; concerns about how well the legislation captures the sex offending space; and confusion about how to interpret online offending.