New names for 32 child-sex offenders

Thirty-two people on the Child Sex Offender Register have been granted permission to change their names by the Police Commissioner in the four years since the register started.

The register was created in October 2016 to improve child safety by having up-to-date information available on known childsex offenders living in the community that can be used to monitor risk of reoffending.

As at July 1 there were 2862 people on the register.

The act that created the register allows anyone on it to change their name provided they have been granted approval by the Police Commissioner.

Information provided to Stuff under the Official Information Act reveals that 38 people on the register had requested approval to change their names since it started. Thirty-two had been approved, three declined and three were being assessed.

This is an increase from May last year, at which point just 13 applications had been made, of which 12 had been approved.

Police do not release the names of those on the list.

Before granting approval the commissioner must consider five factors:

■ The safety of the offender and other people

■ The offender’s rehabilitation or treatment

■ Whether the new name could be used for unlawful purposes

■ Whether the new name change was likely to frustrate the administration of the act

■ Whether the new name would be offensive to a victim or the family of a deceased victim.

Any new name is recorded in police intelligence and is linked to any names used previously and any existing convictions.

A move to prevent child-sex offenders changing their name formed the basis of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration (Preventing Name Change by Child Sex Offenders) Amendment Bill that progressed to select committee stage in 2016.

The committee decided it should not be passed as they felt the requirement that offenders get approval of the Commissioner of Police to change their name provided appropriate protection, and banning sex offenders from permanently changing their name – with no exceptions – would be in breach of their human rights, as noted in the Attorney-General’s report on the bill.