AUSTRALIA
The West Australian
Gary Adshead, The West Australian
Updated November 26, 2012,
He was a frustrated detective who should have been a fortune teller.
On September 16, 1996, Andrew Patterson wrote a memo to his WA Police bosses about the lack of resources for fighting the evil of paedophilia.
“Our current response to paedophile crimes, including the criminal use of computers by these persons, is insufficient,” he wrote. “In my view, this agency would be criticised should it become subject of an external inquiry similar to the Wood royal commission.”
That prophecy might soon be put to the test by a looming royal commission into how agencies and institutions across Australia have responded to child abuse.
Mr Patterson believes his old police force has a case to answer about the poor resourcing and eventual closure of the highly successful paedophile investigations team.
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