More NSW Police are needed to monitor register’s 4000 child sex offenders
POLICE are being swamped by the surging number of paedophiles on the Child Protection Register and say at least another 100 officers are needed to monitor them effectively.
NSW
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POLICE are being swamped by the surging number of paedophiles on the Child Protection Register and say at least another 100 officers are needed to monitor them effectively.
The problem has been highlighted by the new president of the Police Association of NSW, Tony King, who says regular officers are unable to keep track of the register’s 4000 “grubs and deviants”, with hundreds added annually.
“We need dedicated officers assigned in each command to keep track of these people who target our children and are known to be repeat offenders,” he said yesterday.
“In some areas one officer who has other duties is given the job of keeping track of over 100 offenders on the registry. No matter how hard they try they just can’t do it.”
Those on the register have to tell police what vehicles they own, when they change address, get tattoos and what social media accounts they have. It’s often time-consuming and specialist work but at the moment is left up to each command to try to manage.
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“Ideally we would like to see one officer dedicated to every 30 known to be on the registry. It’s no longer a part-time job. In some country areas one officer might be responsible for more than 150 cases,” Mr King said.
The problem is only going to increase with the NSW Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad arresting and charging more than 700 people accused of offences against children each year.
The register grows almost weekly as offenders are released from prison or placed on the list by the courts.
The Daily Telegraph yesterday revealed that the number of people caught breaching their release conditions had doubled in the past five years from 170 to 361 last year. Only a third of those were given jail time, with most given bonds without supervision.
“Imagine how many more we could have locked up if we had sufficient police numbers,” Mr King said.
The NSW State Crime Command administers the register and works with local districts to assist with checks and assessments but agreed the register was growing.
“The NSWPF acknowledges numbers on the CPR are continuing to increase and continue to work closely with relevant government agencies within current legislative frameworks,’’ Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec, commander of the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad, said.
Victims and their families say not only are the courts going soft on offenders but they are denied basic rights of information regarding those who have attacked them.