There has been an 11% increase in the number of sex offenders being monitored in the community.

According to figures from the Probation Service, there are currently 206 sex offenders being monitored after being released from prison.

That is compared to 185 at the same time last year.

High-risk offenders are currently monitored closely to ensure children are kept safe.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre CEO Noeline Blackwell told Newstalk that the people they are most dangerous to often know where they are.

“The thing about sex offenders is that, very often, the community most at risk knows all about it because so many sex offenders offend against family members or close members of their own community.

“It could be a partner, it could be a parent or a sibling or another relative so in those cases, the question of the sex offending is known.”

The Government has published legislation that would allow sex-offenders to be electronically tagged in some circumstances.

Ms Blackwell said she supports the plan.

“Tagging may indeed be a useful aid for those where tagging is needed, for instance to keep them away from certain places where other people may be at risk,” she said.

“It is a good idea, with a big but – monitoring of tagging has to be full time. It has to be 24/7. It is resource-intensive but there has to be someone to notice if somebody exceeds the limits of their tag.”

The Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill published last Nov would also allow Gardaí to warn members of the public about convicted sex offenders living in their area.

It allows the courts to explicitly bar offenders from working with children or vulnerable people and introduces tighter rules for the Sex Offenders’ Register.