AG: Legislation for sex-offenders registry finalised

ATTORNEY General Faris Al-Rawi says legislation for a national sex-offenders registry has been finalised and gone to Cabinet.

“We are expecting that we will be able to lay that very shortly.”

He was responding to a question in the House yesterday from Princes Town MP Barry Padarath on the timeframe for the introduction of relevant legislation in Parliament on the national sex-offenders registry.

Padarath said hopefully the bill will be laid in this term of the Parliament and asked whether there is ongoing infrastructural plans to operationalise the legislation.

“Or are we going to wait for the legislation to pass and then enforce in terms of infrastructure?”

Al-Rawi responded the operationalisation is being done “as we speak.” He said many people do not know that in the year 2000 the Sexual Offences Act was amended to include the requirement for a register and the police service was meant to have kept the register alive.

“That unfortunately has not been managed in the best manner possible.”

He said Government was attempting to rationalise the process and incorporate all the material that should have gone on the register and treat with it in a new way.

“We are firmly intent on operationalising the law with immediacy.”

Al-Rawi said there three essential arms involved in the process, namely the prison service, judiciary and the police service. He explained it will include people who have been convicted and served term and upon release have to undergo the registering process and requirements for a registered sex offender; the judiciary will provide notice for historical matters and the inter-relationship between prisons and judiciary record; the police service monitoring factor; and Immigration Division in relation to children “so we have the widest protection possible.”