Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Kulandra Ratneser is calling for all future repeat sex offenders to be placed under supervision orders to try and minimise the chance of them abusing other children.

He revealed to the The Royal Gazette that no offender on the Island had yet been placed under the scheme, available under recently introduced legislation which he claimed to be the best possible alternative to a sex offenders' register.

The Criminal Code Amendment Act No. 2, introduced on October 29, 2001, allows a judge to place the offender under a supervision order for up to ten years under which the offender would have to inform the Police of his address and any subsequent change to this address or name.

Under extended powers the Minister for Public Safety could also order the disclosure of any details, including photographs, of an offender to appropriate individuals or groups if that individual is thought to pose a significant threat.

Mr. Ratneser, who has been working in his current capacity since March, has also worked as a prosecutor in Sri Lanka, Belize, England, Fiji and Australia and reveals that each country had a similar problem with paedophiles, and none of them had a sex offenders' register.

"It (the Criminal Code Amendment Act No. 2) is an excellent piece of legislation," said Mr. Ratneser, who revealed the punishment and control of those who abuse children, and those who commit acts of domestic violence, was one of his "passions".

"I would like to see it invoked in every case of a repeat offender. It is not easy for an offender to commit further offences when controlled under the order," he explained.

"And in appropriate cases I would like to see the Minister use his discretion to disclose relevant details of an offender where there is a significant and specific threat posed by an individual.

"In Bermuda, like everywhere else, it is social problem and I do not know enough about the society here to be able to say how it should be solved - if it can. "But I can try and ensure that offenders are brought to court and receive suitable punishment."

When asked why no supervision orders had yet been issued on the Island, he responded: "When there is new legislation introduced it often takes some time before everyone becomes aware of it and its uses."

In a candid interview, Mr. Ratneser spoke of his own personal fear of child abuse, brought about by years of legal work on the subject.

"I have two boys who, of course, are now grown up," he continued. "But when they were younger we used to ferry them about, to and from school.

"My wife and I were always very aware of the dangers of abuse and did everything a parent could to minimise the risks."

Over years of working on cases of child abuse, Mr. Ratneser has spent many hours interviewing victims and is all too aware of the effect these crimes have on the youngsters.

"These are terrible crimes and the victims often suffer long-term damage as a result," he continued. "Many often will become paedophiles themselves. The court process can often be a daunting process, particularly for younger victims.

"It is a society problem. The subject is an interesting one. It is something I have had a passion for wherever I have worked. In the Western world, sex abuse has been seen to be getting much worse over the last 25 years as the stigma attached to reporting it to the authorities has steadily been lifted."

Earlier this week The Royal Gazette spoke to the mother of a six-year-old victim of abuse after a court case involving a convicted paedophile who was found not guilty of molesting her son.

She called for a sex offenders' register to be introduced to make the community more aware of offenders living in their midst and to protect other children from harm.