91 of 136 sex offenders living in Co. Derry part of borough

There were 136 registered sex offenders - all male - living in the borough as of last September. Of these, 91 lived in County Derry with the remaining 45 living in County Antrim.

The PSNI provided details of three main population centres where the registered sex offenders were resident: Coleraine (36), Limavady (31) and Ballymoney (24).

Police said they could not provide details of smaller locations were sex offenders were resident as it could identify them and lead to reprisals or unrest.

"Releasing the number of registered sex offenders in a specific location with a smaller population has the potential to identify those individuals within the community and incite reprisals against them. There is also a likelihood of an individual being misidentified as a sex offender.

"Disclosure could put these individuals at risk and impact on their personal safety. The possibility that registered sex offenders may be living in a community is an emotive subject and may lead to attempts to identify these individuals.

"There is also the possibility that unrest may result, and lead to individuals (whether innocent or guilty) being targeted in response to the release of the information.

"The PSNI is currently trying to tackle punishment attacks on individuals believed to be sex offenders. There have been several incidents of threats and vigilante action against sex offenders and innocent parties even where no data has been disclosed," the PSNI said.

Across the north as a whole there were 1,594 registered sex offenders as of September.