Call to give parents ‘soft’ Garda information to protect children

Parents concerned about men loitering near playgrounds and schools “for no obvious reason” could be given “soft” Garda information, including unproven allegations about the individual’s background, if the Child Sex Offenders (Information and Monitoring) Bill is accepted by the Government.

Reform Alliance TD Denis Naughten is due to meet Justice Minister Alan Shatter later today, and he hopes that if the minister broadly accepts his proposals “parents could request information from gardaí about, for example, individuals regularly hanging around playgrounds or schools for no obvious reason”.

The Roscommon-South Leitrim TD believes his bill is very similar to what the Government is proposing to introduce next year and has urged the justice minister to work with him as the longer the law is delayed “children’s lives and safety are being put at risk and following Sarah’s Law in the UK and Megan’s Law in America, the last thing we want is a similar law named after an Irish child”.