A severe lack of police resources could be putting children at risk according to the Police Association of NSW.
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The association is calling for an urgent increase in the number of police to investigate child sex offences and additional police to monitor people on the Child Protection Register, including paedophiles.
PANSW Orange branch chairman Adam Piffarelli said responsibility to monitor child abuse perpetrators falls to police, who are already stretched to capacity.
“We know there are over 4000 offenders on the Child Protection Register statewide, and around 435 in our western region, but only a fraction of those are monitored regularly due to the fact that we simply don’t have enough police to do the job,” he said.
“The legislation in this area is strong. Police have the powers to actively monitor and stop these offenders targeting our children, but we just don’t have the resources to do it properly.
Police have the powers to actively monitor and stop these offenders targeting our children, but we just don’t have the resources to do it properly.
- Police Association NSW Orange branch chairman Adam Piffarelli
“The child protection register is our way of keeping an eye on these grubs, to prevent reoffending, and to protect our kids. The officers who do this work day in and day out are stretched to capacity, often with one or two officers managing in excess of 100 convicted offenders.”
Mr Piffarelli said 17 specialist officers are needed to work at local commands in the western region, including two specialist police officers in Orange, which currently has one dedicated officer whose position was taken from the detective branch and covers an area from Orange to Lake Cargelligo.
He said the current officer requires other police resources to do their job and due to safety issues cannot go into an offender’s home alone.
Mr Piffarelli said a further 101 detectives are also needed for NSW Child Abuse Squads.
“These detectives do amazing and disturbing work arresting and prosecuting paedophiles, but we need more of them,” he said.
“We need more police to lock up the paedophiles, but every conviction means another person on the Child Protection Register, so we also need police in our commands and districts to monitor them in our communities.”
Mr Piffarelli said although there is a need for more specialist staff, he said all police in Orange are aware of the most high-risk offenders and respond to any breaches, including those at supervised group homes.
Depending on the severity of crimes he said offenders are monitored by various ways while in the community with some having to report regularly at the police station, there are random spot checks of offender’s homes, community-based supervision and round the clock supervision in facilities.
He said workers in group homes do a fantastic job but do not have the same powers as police, so police officers respond whenever there is a problem.
He said all police take the issue seriously and do the best they can to prevent reoffending.
However, he said having other police officers helping monitor paedophiles meant more resources were being taken from other areas of policing.
Mr Piffarelli said fewer of those other resources would be needed if two specialist officers worked in Orange and the detective position would return to that field.
The association is lobbying the state government on the issue and has a petition people can sign on its website at pansw.org.au.
KEY FACTS ABOUT POLICING SEX OFFENDERS:
- There are currently about 4000 known offenders on the Child Protection Register in NSW.
- There are about 435 known offenders on the Child Protection Register in the western region.
- The reoffending rate within four years is 46 per cent.
- There are 201 people on the Child Protection Register whose whereabouts are unknown.
- There are about 80 unidentified child sex offenders whose DNA is on the database.
- There are 62 offenders whose DNA is untested.
- There are 9527 reports that require 4583 investigation every year.
- More than 4500 charges are laid a year.
- 150 dedicated detectives are required in Police Area Commands and Police Districts to intrusively monitor the growing numbers on the register.
- 12 additional detectives are required in the Central Child Protection Registry to ensure legislation is utilised to its full force.
- 67 additional Detectives are required in Child Abuse Units to investigate and prosecute child sex offenders.
- 16 additional Detectives are required in the Child Exploitation Internet Unit to target on-line predators.
- Seven additional surveillance operatives are required to assist in targeting and monitoring.
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Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
