Paedophile Peter Liddy's release on home detention sparks community concern in SA

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens says he is aware of a flyer circulating in regional South Australia warning of notorious paedophile Peter Liddy's release from prison on Thursday.

Liddy was jailed in 2001 for sexual offending against four children between 1983 and 1986, and will be released on home detention despite an ongoing application to have him kept behind bars.

That application was lodged by South Australia's Attorney-General Kyam Maher earlier this year, and the Supreme Court later refused Liddy's bid to permanently shelve those proceedings.

But the court instead ruled the 82-year-old former magistrate should still be released at the expiry of his term on June 4 on strict home detention conditions, while the court awaited medical and psychiatric reports to determine whether he could control his sexual instincts.

Home detention conditions will include electronic monitoring, restricted internet access and a ban on contact with children.

He will be prohibited from going within 50 metres of any school, kindergarten or public playground.

Commissioner Stevens said primary responsibility for ensuring Liddy complied with the supervision order would rest with the Department for Correctional Services, but that SA Police would "have a broader public safety role".

"If there are any concerns about the safety of other people in the community based on his conduct then we'll be taking action," he told 891 ABC Adelaide.

"Equally, he has a lawful right under the circumstances to be within the community, so if there's any threats or harm to him we'll be obligated to take action in that regard.

Last month, the Supreme Court heard the premises where Liddy would live were "currently being assessed", but that there were "complexities" which could not be articulated in open court.

Commissioner Stevens said while police would be aware of where Liddy would be living, the Child Sex Offenders Registration Act prevented disclosures of the "home address of a person who's on the register or personal details of a person on the register".

The commissioner was asked about copies of a flyer that is reportedly circulating on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula, and that warns of Liddy's release.

"I don't think that any offence has been committed in the circulars or the flyers that I have seen," he said.

"But I would just caution people not to inadvertently find themselves the subject of a police investigation because they've released information they're not entitled to."

The flyer mentions Liddy by name and stated that it was "not intended to cause harm or to identify any location" but act as a reminder "to remain vigilant to continue practising general child safety awareness".

A spokeswoman for the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said she could not comment on Liddy's future whereabouts.

"Any offender released into the community under an Interim Supervision Order is subject to strict supervision conditions determined by the court, which may include electronic monitoring, curfews, reporting obligations and restrictions on movement and activities," the spokeswoman said in a statement.

"The department is unable to comment on the specific release arrangements of an individual, in accordance with the Correctional Services Act."

The Copper Coast Council said it had "received no official correspondence regarding the release of Peter Liddy and had no prior knowledge of the flyers".