Qld: Beattie pledges tougher stance on paedophiles

AAP General News (Australia)
08-25-2006
Qld: Beattie pledges tougher stance on paedophiles

Labor will spend four million dollars on electronic tags for convicted paedophiles
if it's re-elected in Queensland.

The Queensland government has previously rejected greater surveillance because of its
concerns about the technology .. but Premier PETER BEATTIE says they now have more confidence
in it.

Coalition police spokesman VAUGHAN JOHNSON .. who's a long-time advocate of electronic
tags .. says the government's failed to protect the state's children from paedophiles.

Mr JOHNSON says the current system isn't working and paedophiles should be subject
to tighter surveillance and not be released back into the community until they complete
proper rehabilitation programs.







The Courier-Mail's reported today serial child molester ERIC VAN DESSEL is living close
to a South Brisbane child care centre and school.

VAN DESSEL was released from jail in February and has to follow 29 supervision conditions.

He was sentenced in Cairns in July 2004 to two-and-a-half years' jail for indecent
treatment of a child under 12 under his care .. and was convicted of similar offences
in 1989 in Mount Isa and in 2001 in Townsville and sentenced to probation and jail terms
respectively.

AAP RTV pjo/sc/crh/bart

KEYWORD: POLL QLD MOLEST (BRISBANE)

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