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The Electronic Monitoring of Offenders Bill, currently being debated in Parliament, will do nothing to stop offenders breaching monitoring conditions, says New Zealand First Corrections Spokesperson Mahesh Bindra.

'There have been over 15,500 breaches of monitoring under the National government's watch.

'The changes proposed in this bill do not invoke confidence that there will not be another murder by an offender who is able to move outside his designated area, as occurred when Auckland Filipino woman Blessie Gotingco was killed.

'Failing to address inadequate monitoring with the need for mandatory communication and liaison between Corrections and the police continues to put New Zealanders at risk.

'The real reason this government is pushing aside community safety with this bill is to manipulate practice by stealth to keep prisoner numbers down.

'As far as New Zealand First is concerned, the safety of our people is paramount and the Electronic Monitoring Bill is of no use and must be binned,” says Mr Bindra.

SOURCE: Office of Mahesh Bindra

Mahesh Bindra