Electronic monitoring is being introduced as a special condition for people awaiting trial.
Called EM bail, the NZ Police-led initiative is aimed at providing the Courts with an option to bail pre-trial remand offenders on electronic monitoring.
The option has been introduced in Northland and Auckland and will be fully operational nationwide by 1 December.
New non-sworn Police staff, called EM bail assessors and located in Police Prosecutions Service offices around the country, will help manage applications by defendants for release on EM bail.
“EM bail is one of a range of interventions aimed at reducing both the crime rate and the prison population,” says Graham Thomas, the National Manager of Police Prosecutions Service.
“It is an extension of what Police do currently under the Bail Act 2000, where a person charged with an offence can be remanded in custody or released on bail until his or her trial.”
“Key considerations in any EM bail assessment and court decision will be the need to protect the interests of victims and witnesses involved in the case, community safety generally, and the need to preserve the integrity of the trial process,” he said.
Mr Thomas says EM bail is beneficial as it enables those on EM bail to remain in their home environment, and possibly to continue working, while still being intensively monitored through their electronic bracelet.
Corrections staff have been giving the Police advice on the initiative from the start.
“EM bail mirrors home detention in many ways, so the Police have been consulting with us a great deal. We’ve also been able to help the Police by sharing information such as our training manuals,” says Senior Operations Adviser Veronica Taylor.
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