Let’s have a single hi-tech database to track all convicted sex offenders

IT WOULD be reassuring, wouldn’t it, to be certain that convicted sex offenders were being monitored.

Tue, 16 Sep, 2008 - 01:00

Fergus Finlay is a former political activist and adviser to three governments, the former head of the children's charity Barnardos, a writer and a broadcaster.

There are some parts of the world, especially the United States, where it is possible to track the whereabouts of an offender over the internet. That may not be a great idea, but it is essential, isn’t it, that if a convicted sex offender is living in Ireland, the gardaí know where he is.

Here’s what the gardaí themselves have to say on the matter: “As a result of the introduction of the Sex Offenders Act 2001, certain notification requirements are now imposed on a category of convicted sex offenders. The Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Investigation Unit has a central function in the operation of this legislation.”