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In a move aimed at enhancing child protection, parents and community members will soon have the ability to request information about registered and reported offenders living in their vicinity.
“Crimes of a sexual nature against children are profoundly serious and cause significant trauma not only to the victims but also to their families and the wider community,” stated SA Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Catherine Hilliard.
Police are particularly focused on individuals like Allan Hopkins, who was convicted of abducting a young girl in 2007 and is alleged to have reoffended after completing his sentence, underscoring the importance of community safety.
“If you are someone who preys on children, know that you will not have a place to hide,” declared Attorney-General Kyam Maher.
Starting Monday, a new feature on the SA Police website will enable South Australians to access the identities of registered child sex offenders, especially if these offenders’ locations become uncertain.
Parents and guardians will also be able to apply to view photos of any predators living in their area and request specific information on a person who has regular, unsupervised contact with their child if they have concerns.
“This strengthens South Australia’s police powers in terms of managing reportable and registered child sex offenders,” Hilliard said.
Police will be carefully monitoring who requests information and their intentions and say there will be zero tolerance for vigilante behaviour.
“There are penalties in place for misuse or anyone who wants to take the law into their own hands,” Maher said.
It will be illegal to share or publish any information from the register.
If anyone is found to misuse the platform, they could face a penalty of up to two years in prison.
South Australia isn’t the first state to make the registry available to the public, with a similar operation in Queensland.
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