Electronic Bail System Still Failing – Peters

18 January 2015 Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader

Member of Parliament for Northland

The escape of high risk offender Mathew Kidman in Wellington today shows the electronic bail system is failing and putting our communities at risk, New Zealand First says.

“Mathew Kidman is known as being a notorious criminal with a string of robbery and firearms offences stretching back the past decade but here he is on electronic bail and he has done what he has done before, escaped,” New Zealand First leader and Northland Member of Parliament Rt Hon Winston Peters says.

“Since 2008 there have been thousands of breaches of electronic monitoring conditions putting law abiding citizens at risk.

“Even last year Prime Minister John Key acknowledged it was "ludicrous" that offenders' electronic monitoring bracelets could be cut off with scissors and we were told then that the Government was working on using material to make removing the bracelets much more difficult.

“Kidman’s escape shows nothing’s changed.

“We need stronger electronic monitoring laws to ensure our communities are kept safe and the Government must bring the Electronic Monitoring of Offenders Bill back to Parliament next month and pass it under urgency.”

The bill proposes to remove legislative barriers to the electronic monitoring of offenders released from a sentence of imprisonment of 2 years or less; and offenders sentenced to intensive supervision.

ENDS

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