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Simon Power
National Party Law & Order Spokesman

27 December 2005

Concern over parole and secret location of 292 sex offenders

National’s Law & Order spokesman, Simon Power, says giving 292 sex offenders parole without revealing what communities they are living in is outrageous and is asking for big trouble.

He was commenting on a report of a Corrections Department list of paroled sex offenders, gained under the Official Information Act.

“Serious questions have to asked about why these people get parole at all, particularly at a time when children are swarming all over our streets on holiday.

”These people are a threat to the community and especially children – that’s why they were locked up in the first place. They should serve their full sentences.

“But then, having let these people out, the Corrections Department should at the very least be telling the public where they are living.

“Our communities and our children have a right to be protected from these people, and must be told if they are living in their neighbourhoods.

“This information goes to the very heart of the public interest, and Minister Damien O’Connor must explain why it is being kept secret,” says Mr Power..

“Hiding behind the Privacy Act is not a good reason. What about the rights of our children?”

Ends

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