FOUR sex offenders in Wiltshire have disappeared. They have slipped through the net designed to protect children's safety.

But we cannot tell you who they are, or what area they are believed to be living in.

Police say they have decided to keep their identities secret because they are not considered a danger to the public.

The news comes as Wiltshire Police reveal for the first time how 217 sex offenders are registered in the county.

The relaxation of rules comes after a wave of public pressure urging police forces nationwide to reveal details about paedophiles living in the community.

Chief Supt Gary Chatfield of Wiltshire Police said investigations have been launched and officers are "actively searching" for the missing men.

He said: "Three of those missing have committed sexual offences within the family environment.

"There is no such thing as a certainty that a sex offender so determined and cunning will not re-offend. But we take the management of registered sex offenders very seriously and have in place a number of systems and checks."

Det Insp Kevin Capstick, who heads the Force Intelligence Bureau which is responsible for maintaining the Sexual Offenders Register, said: "Failing to comply with the register is a criminal offence and investigations are taking place.

"We are not at the stage of disclosing photos, names or addresses. We look at the issue of disclosure on a case by case basis."

Police chiefs in Wiltshire say 34 registered offenders are still in jail, with 97 per cent of sex pests complying with the register's condition.

Det Insp Capstick said police in the county were able to keep track of perverts and sex pests using the register, with each case judged on the risk to the public.

He said: "The fact that we know where 98 per cent of sex offenders are if an incident should occur is encouraging. The biggest fear we would have would be if we lost that control.

"Apart from the offence of failing to register being committed we have the issue of public safety. It may be that we need to make public disclosure if we consider the offender is a serious risk to the community."

Police carry out individual assessments of sex offenders to look at their risk to society. In some cases teachers, parents and neighbours will be told about the offender moving into the community, but police chiefs believe that releasing the names and addresses of paedophiles to the general public would be a serious danger.

Dangerous paedophiles released from jail can be put under 24-hour police surveillance but Chief Supt Chatfield said it can stretch vital resources.

"The most difficult thing for us to manage is a prolific paedophile. They are the real danger and can cause us major problems if they are released back in the community from prison."

Internet paedophilia is also on the increase, with offenders using their computers to ensnare their victims.

Detectives are warning parents to watch their children on the internet, with a recent case in Swindon involving a 14 year-old girl being raped by a paedophile, highlighting the trend.

The release of figures comes in the week after the attempted abductions of two girls in Wiltshire in separate incidents.

An 11-year-old girl was grabbed by a man as she got off her school bus in Wyke Road, Hilperton, just four days after a nine-year-old was followed by a man by the nearby marina.