KEY POINTS:
New Zealand First MP Ron Mark is calling for a select committee inquiry into the electronic bail scheme, concerned the judiciary is taking too lenient an approach.
It follows National's criticisms that too many serious offenders have been placed on the scheme, including a man who then went
on a rampage and was re-arrested and charged with a number of assaults and attempted murder.
Mr Mark is the law and order select committee deputy chairman and National and Labour equally share the six other seats on the committee.
He said he would be surprised if National, given the concerns raised by its justice spokesman Simon Power over the issue, would not support his inquiry call.
Mr Power responded with a quid pro quo, inviting Mr Mark to support his call for an inquiry into the Corrections Department, which Mr Mark has so far refused to do, in exchange.
"I'd welcome Mr Mark extending the terms of reference for a full inquiry into Corrections to include the electronic monitoring of bail."
The re-arrested man was one of 18 people nationwide who have so far been put on the scheme.
The use of electronic bail, similar to home detention, is provided for in the Bail Act and was initiated late last year following concerns about the burgeoning jail population - partly swelled by an increase in remand inmates. Police electronic bail manager Lindsay Talbot said that of the 18 alleged offenders placed on the scheme, only one had been re-arrested.
He also revealed police had opposed electronic bail for 17 of the 18.
Mr Power has complained that aside from the re-arrested man, four of the other people on the scheme had been charged with possession of a Class A drug or with manufacturing methamphetamine, which carried a maximum life sentence.
"Electronic monitoring should be for low-level, non-violent accused only. Labour's plan to cut prison numbers by widening the eligibility for electronic monitoring and home detention is resulting in people being in the community who would otherwise be in prison."
Mr Mark said electronic monitoring was a useful additional way of keeping an eye on those remanded on bail, "but the question I would have is who should be entitled to what?
"From what I can see there is evidence to show people who have been given electronic bail are known felons who have serious track records of offending. It gives cause for serious concern as to how the system is being implemented.
"The question is why should they be given any consideration at all? Why aren't they in jail? The law and order select committee [should] look into some of these things."
Mr Talbot said police and the Ministry of Justice would report to the Government later this year on whether any legislative changes should accompany the scheme.
Asked if police believed changes were necessary, he said "there are some areas where specific legislation might be helpful".
There were no restrictions on who was eligible for the scheme and this could be one matter police submitted on, he said.
Mr Talbot rejected a Sensible Sentencing Trust argument that only first-time, non-violent offenders should be eligible.
"I can see a major gap in the logic there, which is that little old ladies who jaywalk don't get remanded in custody. The Sensible Sentencing Trust's ideal defined population doesn't get remanded in custody."
