We were disgusted to learn that a pedophile has moved into the Linden area.
The RCMP issued a press release informing the media and the community about the convicted criminal, who was recently released from jail.
It raises the question, once again, about the appropriateness of giving out information about criminals identity and location once they have been released.
Shouldn’t the pedophile, who has finished serving his time, have a right to live his life in relative peace? Shouldn’t he be given his privacy?
Although some would argue the importance of personal rights, we would answer those questions with a resounding “no.”
Many of us here at the Rocky View Weekly are parents, aunts and uncles, cousins or friends of young children.
These children are innocent and helpless targets for those who would like to harm them and someone needs to protect them.
It is the job of the police to protect the community by flushing out and apprehending these individuals.
That responsibility does not end once the criminal has finished their sentence, we, as a society, have the right to be given all the information so we can effectively protect our children.
Let’s get one thing straight, we do not endorse vigilante justice, in no way do we encourage the residents of Linden to take this matter into their own hands.
However, our children are our most precious resource and, as a community, we deserve to know when an individual who preys on children lives nearby.
The criminal gives up the right to personal privacy once they make a child their victim.
Our children’s right to safety supercedes those of the criminal.
