Questions and Answers

Q. What is the purpose of the National Sex Offender Registry?

• The National Sex Offender Registry provides rapid access by police to current vital information about convicted sex offenders.
• As part of the National Registry, the National Sex Offender Database contributes to the protection of the public by providing police with a useful investigative tool when responding to serious incidents of a sexual nature.
• The database is the backbone of the overall National Sex Offender Registry. The Registry itself encompasses the actual database and the technological and administrative infrastructure.

Q. What is the RCMP position on the National Sex Offender Registry?

• The RCMP supports any tool which enhances our ability to protect Canadians against potential sex related crimes.
• The RCMP will continue to make use of the best means available to ensure the registration of sex offenders in an effort to provide safe homes and safe communities for Canadians.
• While the RCMP do not view the sex offender registry as the panacea for solving sexual crime, it nevertheless has an important role to play and supports law enforcement efforts in identifying and prosecuting sexual crime offenders.

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Q. Who is responsible for the National Sex Offender Registry database?

• The RCMP administers the National Sex Offender Registry database.
• Police in the various jurisdictions are responsible for inputting the data and the enforcement of the registration provisions.

Q. What type of information is included in the National Sex Offender Registry database?

• The following information can be collected and registered;
  • name and alias
    
  • date of birth and physical description
    
  • address of main and secondary residences
    
  • telephone numbers
    
  • address of educational institution
    
  • employment type and address
    
  • vehicle information (owned or used regularly)
    
  • name and address of offender’s volunteer organizations
    
  • offence information
    
  • photograph of the offender is taken

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Q. How does the National Sex Offender Registry database work?

• The backbone of the National Sex Offender Registry is the database which is administered by the RCMP.
• This database is only accessible directly or indirectly by accredited police agencies in every province and territory.
• This tool enhances public safety by assisting the police in the investigation and prevention of crimes of a sexual nature and identifying possible suspects known to reside near to an offence site. An officer will be able to search for registered sex offenders living in the area.
• The database allows police personnel to conduct a sophisticated search according to an address or part address and the offence of a sex offender, or both.
• The database also includes an expandable address field providing the capability to record address data for several locations a subject would be known to frequent and the type of address recorded.
• The database also hasthe ability to accommodate address history as long as a subject remains in the database.

Q. Who has access to the National Sex Offender Database?

• This database is only accessible by accredited police agencies in every province and territory either directly or indirectly through their Provincial/Territorial Sex Offender Registry (SOR) Centres.
• US or international police agencies may have indirect access to the National Sex Offender Database, providing specific criteria outlined in SOIRA is met.
• Every police force in Canada will have direct or indirect access to the National Sex Offender Database but only for the purpose of enforcing SOIRA and investigating or preventing crimes of a sexual nature.
• There are criminal penalties for the misuse of the data either by persons authorized to have access to it or by third parties who may acquire National Sex Offender Database information.
• Access to this personal information is tightly controlled and used for police purposes and as authorized by law.

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Q. What are the offender’s reporting requirements?

• Persons convicted of a sex offence under the legislation are obligated to register within 7 days of conviction and/or release from a custodial institution.
• Persons convicted of a sex offence are required to re-register or notify their local registration centre annually and every time they change addresses or legal name.
• Persons convicted of a sex offence are required to remain registered for 10 years, 20 years or life – depending on the maximum length of the sentence for the crime.
• Persons convicted of a sex offence are required to provide to local police and to keep current certain information such as addresses and telephone numbers, alias(es) and identifying marks and tattoos. There are penalties for failing to comply with a registration order or for not giving truthful information.
• It is up to local jurisdictions to collect the data that will be entered on the NSOR database. Collection is done by local police who are also responsible for enforcement of the registration provisions.

Q. What penalties exist if sexual offenders do not register and update or provide truthful information?

• On conviction on indictment, to a fine of not more than $10,000, or to imprisonment of not more than two years, or both.
• On summary conviction, to a fine of not more than $10,000, imprisonment for a term of not more than six months, or both.

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Q. How many registration sites/centres are there across Canada?

• In each province and territory, there is one central registration centre that is responsible for the administrative aspects of the database (e.g. data entry). In addition to the provincial or territorial centre, several registration sites are spread throughout the province or territory. Sex offenders report to these sites to register where their data is collected. If the site is set up to enter the data, it will be entered at that location. Otherwise, the data is sent to the registration centre and entered there.
• The number of sites/centres was determined individually by the provinces and territories themselves. As a result, these numbers differ from location to location. There are more than 700 registration sites across the country.

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Q. Who staffs these centres/sites?

• Employees including both police officers and civilian staff from various Canadian police agencies staff the registration centres.

Q. Does the National Sex Offender Database respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Privacy Act ?

• The National Sex Offender Database complies with the provisions of the legislation as approved by parliament.
• There are criminal penalties for the misuse of the data either by persons authorized to have access to it or by third parties who may acquire National Sex Offender Database information.
• Access to this personal information is tightly controlled and used for police purposes and as authorized by law.

RCMP National Headquarters Media Relations: (613) 843-5999