Geraldton independent Shane Van Styn stands by ‘name and shame’ policy, says young offenders included

A Nationals candidate has spoken out against a proposed “name and shame” policy to target repeat offenders spruiked by former Geraldton mayor Shane Van Styn, saying the consequences could be dangerous. Last week, Mr Van Styn, who is running as an independent candidate for Geraldton in the State election, called for repeat offenders in Geraldton to have their names and addresses made public to help the community feel safe. He said he was not worried about any laws relating to protecting identities of young offenders. “Everyone knows the identity of the individual, everyone is across the name, it’s just a taboo,” Mr Van Styn said. “I’m more concerned about the welfare of the shopkeepers and all the people that are continually harassed or have their property stolen. “I’m here to stand up for the community and I’m willing to take some of the heat if needed.” Federal Nationals Senate candidate Paul Brown feared a policy like this could spark concerns in the community. “Naming and shaming people, particularly juveniles, is dangerous — potentially illegal — under the Young Offenders Act,” he said. “Everyone has the right to being innocent until proven guilty. “The last thing we want is lynch mobs causing harm in our community.” Mr Van Styn said the community was suffering enough as a result of repeat offenders and was looking to find solutions. “Every time a solution to at least alleviate the carnage being done by select individuals is presented, everyone decries that it unfairly targets either that person or their family or community,” he said. “This is just a way to downplay any attempts to rectify the situation. “We need to start putting the victims first, not the perpetrators.” Mr Van Styn said no practical solutions had been put forward and that those against the plan were not offering any alternatives. However, Mr Brown urged members of the community to be mindful of what they posted online. “People need to be careful about what they put on social media, members of the community putting their hand up for Parliament need to be mindful of their role as leaders of the community,” he said. “Publicly naming and shaming offenders is not what the community would like to see and we need to be very careful of going down that pathway. “The irony is that everybody on social media naming and shaming juveniles for breaking the law are possibly breaking the laws themselves.” Mr Van Styn said he saw no issue with naming an individual and was not concerned about any legal implications. “I challenge anyone to show me a piece of legislation that prevents that from happening unless it’s been ordered by a court,” he said.