East Renfrewshire Neighbourhood Watch obtained the stats which reveal there are 571 registered sex offenders being monitored in the Greater Glasgow area by Police Scotland.

The FOI request was submitted on November 6 last year after The News reported that a notorious paedophile was living in the town.

And last week it emerged Simeon Hope was back behind bars after he once again accessed sexual images of children on the internet.

In the force’s response to the FOI, Colette McGloan, of Police Scotland’s information management team, said there was a team of 29 officers covering East Renfrewshire and the Greater Glasgow area combined.

She explained: “I can inform you that East Renfrewshire local authority area is covered by Greater Glasgow (G) Division of Police Scotland.

“Within G Division there is an Offender Management Unit which presently consists of 29 officers dedicated to managing offenders who are subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.” The News previously told how more than 20 registered sex offenders were believed to be living in Barrhead at the time.” Tom Taylor, a spokesman for East Renfrewshire Neighbourhood Watch who submitted the FOI request, said tougher measures need to be taken.

He said: “One police officer dedicated to every 20 registered offenders in East Renfrewshire might sound a lot but it is not. They cannot possibly provide any positive monitoring of offenders.

“Much more has to be done and whilst I would not wish to demonise offenders, they have to be differentiated from other criminals, it is estimated that around 25 per cent go on to re-offend.

“The bad news is that sexual predators live in most communities without our knowledge and that needs to change.

“Electronic monitoring should be used at all times, and a national sex offender registry created that provides a single Web site where residents can find information about registered sex offenders.

“Offenders seek trusted positions in the community which put them in contact with children, the public are the eyes and ears for the police and they require to know who these people are.

“In addition every police officer in East Renfrewshire should be fully aware of every offender resident in their area, name, address, photograph etc.” Convicted paedophile Simeon Hope, formerly known as Gary Anderson, was living in Dalmeny Drive, and later fled the town after his presence in Barrhead came to light.

He was convicted in 2010, 2012 and 2000 for posessing indecent images of children, and the former teacher and Green Party candidate fled Derby after serving his sentence.

Police Scotland confirmed that the officers dedicated to monitoring offenders such as Hope, do not carry out other duties, dedicating their time to tracking the whereabouts and actions of individuals.

He said: “The officers are dedicated to the management of offenders on a full time basis.” The number of offenders being monitored at any one time by the unit can also change on an almost daily basis, as offenders complete their notification period or the terms of their conviction.

The response added: “As of November 11, 2014 the G Division Offender Management Unit had responsibility for 571 offenders. This figure can fluctuate on a daily basis as individuals become subject to notification requirements on conviction or complete their period of notification.”