Southend: Innovative order to protect women and girls

Our officers have secured a four-year court Sexual Risk Order against an 18-year-old.

The teenager, who’s currently being held in prison on remand having been charged for failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders register, was given the SRO on 19 June 2025.

The order is specifically for those who we believe pose a significant risk to others, but have not been convicted or cautioned in connection with an offence.

This teenager had previously been issued an interim SRO, which had a condition that they would be added to the sex offenders register and be subject to its notification requirements.

That means they regularly have to let the police know details like their address and if they change their name, and can go to prison if they don’t.

Breaching the conditions of this SRO carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.

'These orders are not used lightly'

Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Waldie said:

“An SRO is an order courts will only issue in exceptional circumstances – for our officers to secure this for four years is testament to the scale of their investigation, and the extent of the alleged offending.
“We’ve built the case against this individual through extensive work by our offender management team and officers tackling child sexual exploitation, and give us the powers we need to effectively police those we – and the courts – believe pose a risk to women and girls.
“They are not used lightly. They are crucial for our officers tackling suspected offending before defendants reach court, and keeping the public safe.”

The teenager must not breach the below conditions without the prior notification and approval of officers:

• May not have unsupervised contact with a girl under the age of 16
• May not knowingly enter a premises where a girl under the age of 16 is present
• May not use a device which can connect to the internet
• May not attempt to bypass any risk management software installed on a device he uses
• May not use any chat application
• May not use any communication application or website where messages are automatically destroyed by default, such as Snapchat
• May not delete any application from a device

Synergy Essex offers free, confidential help to anyone in Essex affected by rape, sexual abuse, or sexual violence - whether it happened recently or in the past.

It’s made up of three expert services:

• Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse
• Rape and Sexual Abuse Specialist Service
• Southend-on-Sea Rape Crisis

You don’t need to report anything to the police to get support. You can contact Synergy Essex directly, or ask someone you trust, like a friend, family member or professional, to refer you.

Support is available for all ages and includes:

• Counselling (in person, online or by phone).
• Emotional and practical help.
• Guidance from Independent Sexual Violence Advisers if you choose to report the crime.

Their First Contact team can talk you through your options and help you get started.

Find out more on the Synergy Essex website.