Where John Reid could do some good

A new scheme is slashing
re-offending rates, but it needs money says yvonne roberts

Police forces across Britain have 'lost track' of 322 convicted sex offenders who are required to keep the police informed of their whereabouts, according to the latest shock-horror report to be thrown at John Reid's beleaguered Home Office.

Yet Reid's department is reluctant to properly fund an award-winning scheme which not only keeps a vigilant eye on high-risk offenders, but also encourages them to build a different kind of life for themselves. Measured by the one criterion that really matters - does it discourage re-offending? - the scheme is a success: while statistics show that 60 per cent of sex offenders are normally likely to re-offend, under this scheme no one has so far re-offended.

The scheme is called Circles of Support and Accountability. It was pioneered in Canada and started here by the Quakers in Hampshire and the Thames Valley. Groups