HOUSING chiefs in Glasgow have called for a major review of the strategy for homing sex offenders.

A group of 15 community based housing associations have jointly claimed the current system results in higher numbers of sex offenders being housed in the most vulnerable communities.

They claim freedom of information requests show concentrations of sex offenders in particular areas and more recently an increase in more affluent areas, possibly in private lets.

The group is critical that the strategy for housing sex offenders in communities has not been reviewed since 2007.

The National Accommodation Strategy for Sex Offenders (NASSO) promotes a multi-agency approach involving the Police, Councils, Health Boards and the Scottish Prison Service.

Alan Benson, Director of Milnbank Housing Association, in Dennistoun, said: "Some housing associations have been campaigning on this issue for over 10 years.

"The senseless and avoidable murder of eight year old Mark Cummings in Royston alerted community based housing providers to the serious dangers of housing sex offenders in our communities.

"The Responsible Authorities say that, whilst risk can't be eliminated, sex offenders have to be housed somewhere.

"But that shouldn't mean that our communities must carry more than their fair share of the risk.

"The current strategy is unfair and unjust.

"We will continue to seek a fundamental review of this policy that places our communities at risk and aim to take our campaign to the Scottish Government and seek the support of our local councillors and MSPs".

This is despite high profile cases, such as Thomas Bennie Smith in Cronberry, Ayrshire, and George Cameron in Toryglen, Glasgow, showing that the arrangements for providing a house and monitoring the offender are flawed."

A significant number of community based housing associations in Glasgow have refused to sign an Information Sharing Protocol with the council.

Paul Martin MSP, a long standing critic of the sex offender policy, said: "I share the concerns that this group of housing associations are highlighting and I support their call for a review of the system that results in some areas bearing an unreasonable share of the risk from housing dangerous sex offenders being released from prison. It's an issue I have raised in the Scottish Parliament on many occasions and it remains an important issue for my constituents"

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "There are arrangements in place to ensure councils offer accommodation and advice to people leaving prison.

"It is for individual social landlords to determine priorities for the allocation of housing and financial assistance for housing costs.

"Scotland's system of monitoring sex offenders is among the most robust anywhere in the world. It involves sharing information between police, councils and other bodies, so that they all work closely together.

"Under the system, all offenders are assessed, and law enforcement agencies are then able to use a range of measures, including surveillance, electronic tagging, curfews and banning offenders from certain areas or from contacting certain people."