This topic sets out the process for assessing the suitability of a residence for EM.
The probation officer must check that the residence is suitable for EM at the initial interview.
It is important to confirm first that EM is available in the area where the offender is proposing to reside. EM is not available in some parts of the country due to technical and resourcing issues.
Please contact the local CPPS office in the area the offender proposed to reside to confirm EM is available in that area.
The following table outlines the factors to be assessed.
|
Factor |
Assessment |
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Is the residence accessible? |
Access to the residence is an important requirement for managing:
If the property does not allow for 24 hour access or is not accessible in all weather, this will affect the monitoring company's ability to monitor the offender. |
|
Is monitoring possible at the address?
|
Some conditions that will affect the reliability of EM at an address, are:
These factors are best assessed by a security officer. |
The Electronic Monitoring Suitability Checklist form (EM01) helps the probation officer to assess the suitability of a residence. This checklist should be completed during the first visit to the residence.
If there are any factors that may affect EM at the residence, the monitoring company must do a pre-installation check.
The probation officer must send a service request to the monitoring company along with a copy of the Electronic Monitoring Suitability Checklist form.
At the initial visit to the residence, the probation officer must check that the residence has strong 021 cellular coverage. This can be done by checking the signal being emitted by a mobile phone as they canvas the residence.
The following factors may interfere with EM equipment:
On request, the monitoring company will undertake a pre-installation check.
The pre-installation check involves a security officer visiting the proposed residence to test whether EM equipment can operate effectively at that location. The security officer will also advise if they identify any health and safety issues related to the address.
The monitoring company will advise the probation officer of the results of the pre-installation check within two days of the request.
If there are any health and safety issues identified, the probation officer should consider whether they can be mitigated, and discuss with the service manager and Chubb NZ coordinator.
If Chubb NZ deem the address unsuitable, CPPS must provide this information to the court.
If the pre-installation check finds that the residence requires a dedicated telephone landline to enable EM, the probation officer must request that the monitoring company provide a quote for the cost and timeframes needed to install a telephone line.
The probation officer will also need to advise the occupants and gain their consent to have a second telephone line installed at the address. If they do not agree, the address will not be suitable for EM.
If telephone line installation costs more than the cost of a standard installation (this will be indicated by the monitoring staff), then consideration needs to be given to the extra cost associated with the sentence and the likely length and appropriateness of the sentence.
The probation officer will need to obtain approval through the CPPS operations help desk to deem the residence suitable given the extra cost attached to the application.
The diagram below shows the process for assessing the suitability of a residence for EM.
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