Dom Post on sex offenders register

The Dom Post editorial:

Child sex offenders depend on anonymity and subterfuge to commit their sickening crimes. Restrict their ability to contact , and the number of potential victims is reduced.

In the case of convicted offenders who have served their sentences but who still have the urge to stalk and groom children, a sex offenders register would help keep kids safe. It could, for example, prevent paedophiles from taking positions in community organisations in which they would have access to young people. It could also apply to those who have committed sexual offences against adults.

Police Minister is therefore right to consider introducing such a register.

Yet Labour seem to think the status quo is working fine.

That said, there is no reason a register with the right checks and balances could not work successfully. Some will say it infringes the rights of those who have done their time, but the equation is simple: the rights of children to be kept safe from sexual predators come first.

Many sex offenders offend against their own family members, and hence get name suppression automatically. Relying on public media reports of offending is unwise, and they are not comprehensive.

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