Parents will soon be able to ask police whether their children’s teachers and sports coaches have been charged with sexual offences, under changes currently being worked out between police and the State Government.
The changes come after a man charged with child-sex offenses, and who was four months later working with children at a gymnasium, was arrested for breaching his bail conditions.
The conditions required the man to not be in the presence of young children unless accompanied by an adult, and to not physically touch a child, according to reports.
Before the 50-year-old man was arrested for breaching bail, a concerned parent had contacted police to ask if the man had been charged with sexual offenses.
Govt turns to police officer to run schools
Police informed the parent they were not allowed to release that information because of privacy requirements.
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Those privacy requirements would be changed, Police Commissioner Gary Burns told the ABC’s breakfast program this morning.
“There’s a need to vary those privacy principles, which the Government is doing,” Burns said. “What we’re doing now is determining what we can release and who we can release it to.
“We’re now looking at, with Government, whether we can broaden it up for people with genuine reasons. But how far do you take it?
“How broadly do you take this information? Do you ask for all the people in your street to be checked?
“It’s not as black and white as you’re making it appear.”
Burns said police had followed requirements in not giving the information to the parent.
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Police had continually monitored the man and had not detected any breaches of his bail conditions until being handed photographic evidence by Opposition education spokesman David Pisoni.
“The police paid visits to that gym, and we also know that they had a human source, an informant in there advising us about issues in that gym.”
Meanwhile, new chief executive of the Department for Education and Child Development and former assistant commissioner of police Tony Harrison said this morning he was the right man for the job.
Harrison said despite not having an education background he had the skills and experience needed to manage and reform a large Government department.
“I don’t think it’s at all about a police officer running an education department. I think it’s about Tony Harrison being a chief executive.
“It’s about having a person with the breadth and depth of experience and skills.
“I’m not being asked to be an educator. Let’s get this straight.
“I’m being asked to be a chief executive, I’m not being asked to be a school principal.”
Harrison said his three key priorities for the department would be health, safety and security.
Earlier, Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said it “beggared belief” that the Government would appoint a former police officer to head the department.
He said Harrison had “no experience, no qualifications whatsoever” to take on an education role.
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