Trying to get Tasmania Police and regulators to act on credible allegations of child sexual abuse by a police officer is like ‘howling at far distant moons’. Those who report allegations of CSA, only to see them ignored, are left dispirited and frustrated.

The Tasmanian community was promised after the findings of the Commission of Inquiry and the Weiss Inquiry that the safety of children would take priority over all other considerations, and that the failings that saw Police Inspector Reynolds predate over 52 boys over his 38-year career could never happen again. Barrister Regina Weiss, at the time her Report was released, implored the community to – “report, report, report” – but in response we again get “crickets, crickets, crickets”!

Credible and consistent reports lodged by community figures and an ex-MP, are considered insufficient to even open an investigation into an officer alleged to be a ‘violent sexual predator’ currently stationed in a remote part of the State. Police Professional Standards require first-hand statements from victims before even opening an investigation. The onus is on those making reports to effectively provide evidence that might satisfy a Court, knowing full well that victims are naturally fearful of reprisals from this officer and his associates. It is the job of the Police to investigate not those reporting child sexual abuse. It is unfair and totally inappropriate to throw this back on community members discharging their responsibilities. Police are responsible for actively lowering the barriers that will permit victims to come forward with a sense of safety.

Police have the badge, the uniform and the gun, which places them in an immensely privileged and powerful position over the community that they are sworn to serve. The abuse of this power is the only reasonable explanation that saw Inspector Reynolds able to abuse dozens of victims while all the time known to be a serial paedophile.

If Tasmania Police really wants to purge the paedophiles in their ranks they need a new ‘playbook’ that indeed prioritises children over reputation, professional, personal, industrial and political interests. When Police point to principles such as evidentiary standards, presumption of innocence, procedural fairness, natural justice and due process, what they are doing is clearly ‘tipping the scales’ in favour of the alleged abuser. As a result victims instinctively know that they are unlikely to be believed, and that their allegations will not be investigated impartially. Concerns of ‘payback’ are not to be discounted either, particularly when accusations include physical violence.

No doubt this officer will be brought to justice in future decades, when with the passage of time his many victims become less fearful, and his Police associates retire. In the meantime he remains a clear and present danger to children given his ongoing involvement with children and vulnerable young women. Senior Tasmania Police have evidence that shows this officer continues to groom kids on the West Coast of Tasmania.

Key takeaways

• A refusal by Police to act on multiple credible allegations against a Police Officer risks turning those reporting suspected child sexual abuse into ‘whistleblowers’.
• You shouldn’t have to become a whistleblower to get Tasmania Police to proactively investigate one of their own.
• When Tasmania Police refuse to investigate credible CSA allegations they cause ‘moral injury’ to those reporting in good faith.