A statewide South Australian police operation has led to the arrests of more than 30 child sex offenders for breaching legal obligations, with five of the accused allegedly found in possession of child exploitation material.
Key points:
- Police conducted a statewide operation to ensure child sex offenders are complying with legal obligations
- Officers arrested 36 people and searched more than 200 homes
- Police say five offenders were in possession of child exploitation material
On Monday, police went to the homes of 144 child sex offenders listed on the Australian National Child Offender Register (ANCOR) across metropolitan SA.
Prior to that, officers also visited 65 addresses in regional areas between June and July.
Police searched for any evidence of non-compliance with the Child Sex Offenders Registration Act, which bans paedophiles from possessing internet user accounts or having contact with children without disclosure.
“If police found any evidence of non-compliance with their strict conditions the offender will face criminal charges for breaching their ANCOR legal obligations,” Assistant Commissioner John Venditto said.
“The searches from both the metropolitan and regional areas resulted in 209 houses being searched with 36 offenders being charged with breaching ANCOR related obligations.”
SA Police said five “serious registrable offenders” were allegedly in possession of child exploitation material, and a further three offenders had contact with children and had not notified police.
Police also seized a number of items including computers, mobile phones and USB sticks.
“Police will continue examining a number of items seized which may result in further charges being laid,” Mr Venditto said.
“Police check on all registered child sex offenders as a matter of routine.
“The public should be reassured that police will take every opportunity to police child sex offenders and ensure they comply with their legal obligations.”
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