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Cop Slams Child Sex "Epidemic"

THE NSW Police Commissioner, Ken Moroney, has called for a summit to address the problem of child sexual abuse, which he has likened to an epidemic.
Mr Moroney told The Sunday Telegraph he was sickened by the daily reports that crossed his desk.
As of last week, NSW police were investigating 650 cases of sexual and physical abuse of children under 16, he said.
And that was just "the tip of the iceberg".
"I don't think we really know the extent or scope or magnitude of this problem."
Mr Moroney referred to the summit last year when government agencies, health professionals and community groups came together to seek solutions to alcohol abuse.
"If (child abuse) isn't an issue of as much priority, then I'm a poor judge," he said.
Asked if he thought a similar summit was needed on child abuse, he said:
"There is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained. We can't put our heads in the sand. We can't talk about it in hushed tones, as if it isn't there.
"It is there and it is an issue we have to address.
"If we don't, we risk losing this great asset called our kids."
NSW police now have 115 investigators working in joint Investigation Response Teams (JIRT) with Department of Community Services officers. There are 21 teams, six of them in Sydney.
The officer in charge, Detective Chief Inspector Janice Stirling, told The Sunday Telegraph that in the first 11 months of this year, 156 people had been arrested for the sexual abuse of children under 16. They were facing a total of 423 charges.
A further 23 people had been arrested for physical abuse, and four more had been charged with serious neglect.
She said the offenders, mostly men, came from all walks of life.
It was "dangerous" to assume sexual abuse happened only in poorer, less well-educated areas.
"We have a team at Chatswood; there is still lots of work over there."
And there was a growing problem in the Newcastle area, she said.
Most abuse was carried out by a relative or someone known to the child.
Insp Stirling, who has investigated sex crimes against children for 16 years, said she believed people were now more willing to come forward to report abuse.
They had more confidence in the police/DOCS teams and investigators were now "more victim-oriented."
"The protection of the child is our first priority," she said.
"The second thing, for police, is evidence, such as crime-scene evidence, but our priority is to get the child out."

The Sunday Telegraph (12-12-2004)