Managing sexual offenders and violent offenders
Major investigation and public protection — Authorised Professional Practice
Summary
This guidance outlines the principles of managing sexual offenders and violent offenders (MOSOVO) within the framework of public protection and multi-agency cooperation. It emphasizes the importance of effective information recording through platforms like the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR), specifying roles and responsibilities for risk management decisions. Key components include the necessity for training, proper staffing of MOSOVO units, and the importance of police engagement in managing sexual and violent offenders, as well as potentially dangerous persons (PDPs). The management approach involves coordinated efforts among various partners, including HMICFRS, HMPPS, and IOPC, and is subject to regular inspection and review. Monitoring these practices is crucial for ensuring public safety and offender rehabilitation.
Key principles
- 1Effective multi-agency collaboration
- 2Importance of training and development
- 3Clear roles and responsibilities
- 4Risk management strategies
- 5Attention to staff welfare
- 6Adequate staffing for MOSOVO units
Defined terms
- MANAGING SEXUAL OFFENDERS AND VIOLENT OFFENDERS (MOSOVO)
- Management of sexual offenders and violent offenders requiring coordinated action by several partners.
- POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PERSONS (PDPs)
- Individuals identified as potentially posing a risk to public safety.
- MULTI-AGENCY PUBLIC PROTECTION ARRANGEMENTS (MAPPA)
- Framework for collaborative work among agencies to manage offenders.
- VIOLENT AND SEX OFFENDER REGISTER (ViSOR)
- A shared database for recording information on sexual and violent offenders.
Full guidance
Responding to public protection and major investigation issues, for example, child abuse, knife crime and sexual offences
This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.
This guidance provides an introduction into the principles of public protection and effective multi-agency work, recording information on the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) shared database Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR), roles and responsibilities and making decisions based on risk management. It explains the importance of:
training and development * management responsibilities * staff welfare * the police role in effectively managing sexual offenders, violent offenders and potentially dangerous persons (PDPs) * manageable workload * ensuring management of sexual offenders and violent offenders (MOSOVO) units are staffed appropriately
The management of sexual offenders and violent offenders (MOSOVO) and PDPs require coordinated action by several partners and is subject to inspection and review by a number of bodies. These include:
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) * His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) * Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)
Go to the APP on International investigation for latest available detail on specific areas, for example:
International Law Enforcement Alerts Platform (I-LEAP) * European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) * International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) * joint investigation teams
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Read the full APP guidanceSource: College of Policing — Authorised Professional Practice · Crown copyright, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary fetched 2026-06-27.