Sex offenders - Vigilance is necessary

In the last couple of years, the number of prosecutions of registered sex offenders for breaching monitoring rules has increased, especially since gardaí were given powers of arrest in such cases in 2008.

Currently, there are about 1,000 registered sex offenders who must inform gardaí about where they live. If they are going away for over a week, the registered offenders must also notify An Garda Síochána, who pass on an appropriate warning through Interpol to the country to which the person is travelling.

The level of supervision depends on the level of risk. But failure to comply with these provisions is a criminal offence.

In view of the high level of exposure of sex abuse cases in recent years, there is considerable public unease. For too long, these matters were not treated with proper diligence by the authorities. Prosecutions for failure to comply with the rules of registration were infrequent, so the public undoubtedly welcomes the more active approach.

The supervisory measures are necessary not only for the protection of the vulnerable, but also the peace of mind of society in general.

The civil and human rights of convicted offenders in such matters must be secondary to those of innocent members of society.