Fears in suburb over sex offender
The Department of Corrections has notified parents of a Palmerston North suburb with a high concentration of schools and childcare facilities that a sex offender will be moving into their neighbourhood.
Roslyn parents have organised a community meeting this week, where they plan to ask Corrections to relocate the offender and call on the Government to review the way sex offenders are reintegrated into the community.
‘‘We don’t want to sound heartless, but we’re worried ... We don’t want to live our lives looking over our shoulders,’’ mother Michelle Brown said.
Brown said they understood Corrections had a hard job finding places to keep paroled sex offenders and they wouldn’t wish this worry on another community.
The suburb had a large number of young families, four schools, five early childhood education providers, and at least a dozen inhome childcare providers, she said.
The parents have called a community meeting at the Red Sox Manawatu¯ sports club, at 7pm on Friday.
Mother-of-two Rebecca Ludlow, whose daughter will start at Roslyn School in August, suggested placing offenders in housing on the outskirts of town, or an isolated rural area.
‘‘The Government needs to find a better option – one that’s safer for our children, and that’s safer for these offenders as well.’’
The mothers had concerns about a local man who started a Facebook page dedicated to publicly identifying ‘‘creeps’’ – people he lured to a meeting, by pretending to be a young boy or girl online, to take their picture.
They worried he would try to uncover and reveal the offender’s identity and where they lived, which would aggravate the situation.
Brown said the last thing Roslyn needed was misguided people taking the law into their own hands.
‘‘We want [the offender] gone ... [but] we don’t want vigilantes coming into our neighbourhood either.
‘‘That’s not right, and what if they get the wrong person or the wrong house?’’
Ruahine Kindergarten Association general manger Alison Rudzki said Corrections recently met with the association to advise of the offender moving in. That situation was probably more common than most people would think, she said, but there were procedures in place to minimise the risk to children.
‘‘When it’s someone in your neighbourhood, of course you’re going to be concerned about your child’s safety. I would be. But the Department of Corrections have upped their game communicating, and working with schools and childhood services in these situations.’’
Children would be given additional lessons about ‘‘stranger danger’’ and sticking with trusted adults, Rudzki said.
Corrections deputy national commissioner Andy Milne said community safety was of paramount concern.
‘‘Being homeless increases an offender’s likelihood of committing a crime. Sourcing accommodation for those convicted of child sex offences is one of our biggest challenges.’’