NSW Greens Justice spokesman David Shoebridge has asked the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to investigate the NSW Police Force’s use of ‘‘blind reporting’’ of child sexual abuse allegations. Mr Shoebridge referred the issue to commission chairman Justice Peter McClellan on Wednesday after the NSW Police Integrity Commission’s Operation Protea confirmed an informal arrangement between police, the Catholic Church, and an unknown number of other organisations that reduced child sexual abuse allegations to the level of hearsay. The NSW Police Force accepted the arrangement on church assertions that victims did not want to speak to police, and despite legal advice that it breached section 316 of the NSW Crimes Act on concealing serious crimes. ‘‘The practice stymied any further investigation or prosecution of child abuse offences, affecting those victims as well as any victims who did report to police,’’ Mr Shoebridge said. He believed the Police Integrity Commission had not taken seriously the impact a senior police officer’s involvement with a church-run group from 1998 to 2005, which considered ‘‘blind reports’’ of abuse allegations, would have had on victims of child sexual abuse. Mr Shoebridge also criticised the Police Integrity Commission for failing to take statements from two senior police officers about the shredding of documents by police after the group meetings. ‘‘I trust that the royal commission will consider these clear institutional failings and whether further inquiry is needed,’’ he said.
NSW Greens Justice spokesman David Shoebridge has asked the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to investigate the NSW Police Force’s use of ‘‘blind reporting’’ of child sexual abuse allegations.
Mr Shoebridge referred the issue to commission chairman Justice Peter McClellan on Wednesday after the NSW Police Integrity Commission’s Operation Protea confirmed an informal arrangement between police, the Catholic Church, and an unknown number of other organisations that reduced child sexual abuse allegations to the level of hearsay.
The NSW Police Force accepted the arrangement on church assertions that victims did not want to speak to police, and despite legal advice that it breached section 316 of the NSW Crimes Act on concealing serious crimes.
‘‘The practice stymied any further investigation or prosecution of child abuse offences, affecting those victims as well as any victims who did report to police,’’ Mr Shoebridge said.
He believed the Police Integrity Commission had not taken seriously the impact a senior police officer’s involvement with a church-run group from 1998 to 2005, which considered ‘‘blind reports’’ of abuse allegations, would have had on victims of child sexual abuse.
Mr Shoebridge also criticised the Police Integrity Commission for failing to take statements from two senior police officers about the shredding of documents by police after the group meetings.
‘‘I trust that the royal commission will consider these clear institutional failings and whether further inquiry is needed,’’ he said.
