Serious crime by offenders monitored in the community increases

The number of serious crimes committed by violent and sex offenders being monitored after leaving prison has risen more than 28%, figures show.

Some 222 offenders under supervision in the community were charged with crimes including murders, manslaughters or sexual offences in 2014/15.

More than 68,000 sexual and violent offenders are under such arrangements.

The Ministry of Justice said such reoffending remained rare - but the probation union blamed privatisation.

The figures released by the ministry relate to offenders managed under a system called Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements, or Mappa.

It requires probation services, the police and other agencies to supervise sexual and violent offenders.

The precise level of monitoring depends on the each offender's circumstances and the potential risk they are judged to pose.

'Massive jump'

Those deemed the highest risk must undergo regular and active assessment of their behaviour. Officials have the power to send someone back to jail.

The figures show the number of serious further offences rose from 174 a year earlier.

Tania Bassett, national officer for the probation union NAPO, said: "We are starting to see the Mappa process falling apart in some areas, partly due to the privatisation of probation, which means the exchange in information between agencies is not quick enough.

"This is a massive jump which deserves close analysis of the figures."

A mother's heartbreak

David Alun Lewis was described as "vulnerable, fairly quiet and a bit of a loner"

"The liaison officers came on the Thursday night to tell us that he had been killed the previous evening. There were over 80 injuries to his head and his body and the man dumped him in the River Taff. It was a terrible, terrible, brutal death."

Read more: BBC Radio 5 live Investigates asks whether the system to manage dangerous offenders when they are released from prison is keeping people safe.

The number of individuals committing a serious offence amounts to less than 1% of all those within the system - and eight out of 10 of the crimes were committed by offenders subject to the lowest levels of Mappa monitoring. Seventy-six of them were sexual offenders.

Only one of the 551 offenders subjected to the tightest forms of monitoring went on to commit one of the most serious offences - the lowest number since 2006.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Mappa manage some of the highest risk offenders once they have served their prison sentence. Serious further offences are rare but each one is taken extremely seriously and investigated to make sure the right lessons are learned.

"A recent report by the independent Probation and Police Inspectorates found improvements had been made to Mappa over the last four years."

The total number of offenders supervised under the system rose 5% because of an increase in the number of registered sexual offenders.