❓ Mr. Katsambanis questions the Minister for Corrective Services about the delay in notifying police after a dangerous sex offender breached release conditions. The Minister defends the department's actions, highlighting the offender's quick compliance and ongoing review of protocols.
AnsweredQoN 788Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DANGEROUS SEXUAL OFFENDERS
— EDWARD LATIMER
788. Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
I refer to the deeply disturbing
case of Edward Latimer.
(1) Can the
minister explain to the people of Western Australia why it took the Department
of Corrective Services two days to notify police that a dangerous sex offender
had breached his release conditions?
(2) Will the minister apologise to
the public, which clearly finds this unacceptable?
— EDWARD LATIMER
788. Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
I refer to the deeply disturbing
case of Edward Latimer.
(1) Can the
minister explain to the people of Western Australia why it took the Department
of Corrective Services two days to notify police that a dangerous sex offender
had breached his release conditions?
(2) Will the minister apologise to
the public, which clearly finds this unacceptable?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) In
this incident, as the member will probably know, there were over 50
court-imposed conditions on this offender, one of which was to follow the
directions of the adult corrections officer who was monitoring him. The adult
corrections officer told the offender that he was not to go into Northbridge.
This was outlined yesterday by the Attorney General in this house. When it was
indicated that the monitored offender did go into Northbridge, the offender was
immediately contacted by telephone by the monitoring officers. He was
compliant, and he left the exclusion zone. The total amount of time that that
took was six minutes. The time taken for the person to go into the exclusion
zone, be phoned and then leave the exclusion zone of Northbridge was a total of
six minutes. That was a direction by the adult corrections officer, who was
using one of the 50 imposed court orders as his support for giving the
direction to the offender not to go into Northbridge. Within six minutes, he
was back out of the exclusion zone that he was asked not to go into. That was
on Saturday. The police were advised on Monday, and they followed it up by
getting CCTV footage. Eventually they got this person, took him to court, and
the member knows the outcome of the court appearance and his appearance before
the magistrate.
This morning, I had a meeting with
the Commissioner of Corrective Services and the director general of the
department and I asked them to talk to the Commissioner of Police, because the
monitoring officers sit at the Maylands control centre. That initiative was
brought in by this government so that we could respond quickly. I have asked
the director general and the commissioner to talk to the Commissioner of Police
to see whether we can tighten those protocols so that, even though in this case
the person breached his adult community corrections order by six minutes, we
can see whether the police should immediately respond. But that will be a matter
for the police to determine. Nevertheless, I have asked them to communicate
with each other about whether that protocol should be tightened. Remember one
thing, member: none of this would have
occurred had Labor not introduced the dangerous sex offender laws in the first place. The member said on 6PR this morning that this system of monitoring
was introduced by our government. I know that he was in the upper house during
that time, but I am sure that he will remember that electronic monitoring was
introduced by the then Minister for Corrective Services, Joe Francis, and
followed up very soon thereafter by the member for Warren–Blackwood.
Let me take the member to what
those ministers of his former government said at the time. In his press release
about the rollout of the electronic monitoring, Mr Francis said —
This device is an important
measure to protect the community. However, it is important to remember that GPS
tracking is not a magic fix, but an additional measure to manage dangerous sex
offenders in the community. The devices can show us where an offender is, not
what they are doing �
In 2012, when the issue of dangerous
sex offenders in the community was raised with the member for Warren–Blackwood,
he said —
It's not a silver bullet,
it doesn't tell us what they are doing but there is capacity here to
put exclusion zones onto a map, therefore, if someone enters into the exclusion
zone, then a specific alarm will go off �
A Liberal minister and then the
National Party minister at the time identified exactly the capability of those
electronic bracelets, and that is what happened on the weekend. I have just
told the member for Hillarys that if there is an opportunity for us to tighten
those protocols and make them more efficient, we will do so. But remember one
thing: none of these bracelets or conditions would be in place had it not been
for the current Labor government putting those dangerous sex offender laws in
place.
this incident, as the member will probably know, there were over 50
court-imposed conditions on this offender, one of which was to follow the
directions of the adult corrections officer who was monitoring him. The adult
corrections officer told the offender that he was not to go into Northbridge.
This was outlined yesterday by the Attorney General in this house. When it was
indicated that the monitored offender did go into Northbridge, the offender was
immediately contacted by telephone by the monitoring officers. He was
compliant, and he left the exclusion zone. The total amount of time that that
took was six minutes. The time taken for the person to go into the exclusion
zone, be phoned and then leave the exclusion zone of Northbridge was a total of
six minutes. That was a direction by the adult corrections officer, who was
using one of the 50 imposed court orders as his support for giving the
direction to the offender not to go into Northbridge. Within six minutes, he
was back out of the exclusion zone that he was asked not to go into. That was
on Saturday. The police were advised on Monday, and they followed it up by
getting CCTV footage. Eventually they got this person, took him to court, and
the member knows the outcome of the court appearance and his appearance before
the magistrate.
This morning, I had a meeting with
the Commissioner of Corrective Services and the director general of the
department and I asked them to talk to the Commissioner of Police, because the
monitoring officers sit at the Maylands control centre. That initiative was
brought in by this government so that we could respond quickly. I have asked
the director general and the commissioner to talk to the Commissioner of Police
to see whether we can tighten those protocols so that, even though in this case
the person breached his adult community corrections order by six minutes, we
can see whether the police should immediately respond. But that will be a matter
for the police to determine. Nevertheless, I have asked them to communicate
with each other about whether that protocol should be tightened. Remember one
thing, member: none of this would have
occurred had Labor not introduced the dangerous sex offender laws in the first place. The member said on 6PR this morning that this system of monitoring
was introduced by our government. I know that he was in the upper house during
that time, but I am sure that he will remember that electronic monitoring was
introduced by the then Minister for Corrective Services, Joe Francis, and
followed up very soon thereafter by the member for Warren–Blackwood.
Let me take the member to what
those ministers of his former government said at the time. In his press release
about the rollout of the electronic monitoring, Mr Francis said —
This device is an important
measure to protect the community. However, it is important to remember that GPS
tracking is not a magic fix, but an additional measure to manage dangerous sex
offenders in the community. The devices can show us where an offender is, not
what they are doing �
In 2012, when the issue of dangerous
sex offenders in the community was raised with the member for Warren–Blackwood,
he said —
It's not a silver bullet,
it doesn't tell us what they are doing but there is capacity here to
put exclusion zones onto a map, therefore, if someone enters into the exclusion
zone, then a specific alarm will go off �
A Liberal minister and then the
National Party minister at the time identified exactly the capability of those
electronic bracelets, and that is what happened on the weekend. I have just
told the member for Hillarys that if there is an opportunity for us to tighten
those protocols and make them more efficient, we will do so. But remember one
thing: none of these bracelets or conditions would be in place had it not been
for the current Labor government putting those dangerous sex offender laws in
place.
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