00:00The Joint Select Committee of Parliament on National Security returned to its work Wednesday
00:05with an electronic monitoring system under examination.
00:09Chairman Saddam Hussein says the committee is now focused on the business before it.
00:14On the last occasion, we were not able to continue or start the work of the committee
00:20because of a particular matter.
00:22I am informed that that matter has been dealt with
00:26and we can now proceed with the business at hand.
00:30The electronic monitoring unit was operationalized in 2021.
00:34Its mandate is to monitor persons who have been ordered by the court
00:38to wear electronic devices as part of their supervision.
00:42We would have then purchased 300 devices broken down into 150,
00:48what we call one-piece or single-piece devices,
00:51which would be affixed to any one monitored person.
00:54Then we looked at the two-piece devices.
00:57The system represents an investment of $10.13 million.
01:02But despite that investment, the equipment had a significant limitation.
01:06The judiciary raised concerns about its suitability for monitoring people.
01:11This system, which we would have procured,
01:14in the first instance was met for what we call the lower-hanging fruit.
01:19And as such, the applicants who were coming to the program were at a higher risk level.
01:25That caused us to double-think and look at strengthening the system.
01:32The system has been strengthened by provider amalgamated security services
01:36with an upgrade beginning in 2024.
01:39The unit has been working to secure an additional 150 cut-resistant straps.
01:46And Heinz provided an update on the program's use.
01:49Ninety-six persons would have exited the program through serving their time.
01:54So we can say that this program is working through the judiciary,
01:59which will give a certain time frame where persons would stay on the program.
02:03We have received, to date, over 501 applications,
02:08to which 168 of those applications would have been successful.
02:14The persons would have been monitored.
02:16The unit is currently monitoring 72 people.
02:19But there have been instances where persons being monitored have absconded.
02:24One of the most high-profile cases involved Anthony Michael Smith,
02:28who was facing human trafficking-related charges.
02:31Heinz says Smith had been monitored for between three and four years without incident
02:36before authorities lost the ability to track him.
02:40That monitored person at that day in question woke up,
02:44did everything according to the rules,
02:47and subsequently to that, he departed his home,
02:50he went on to the bus route,
02:52and while on the bus route, he would have tampered with the device.
02:56And in tampering with the device, then the alarms were triggered,
02:59the unit went through its standard operating procedures,
03:03and it so happened that we were not in a position to locate Mr. Smith.
03:08Smith was subsequently recaptured.
03:10But the committee also heard of four instances of tampering
03:14with electronic monitoring devices since 2023.
03:18And there are circumstances in which ankle bracelets may not be recommended at all.
03:24Stable supply of electricity must have a legal supply of electricity.
03:30There are many locations we have gone and used the local parlance stealing electricity.
03:36We cannot recommend if somebody is stealing electricity.
03:40Two, the monitoring device,
03:43if the person has what we call a health ailment,
03:49i.e. high blood pressure,
03:51heart instances,
03:53or is on a particular type of medication,
03:57the monitoring device may not be suited for that person.
04:00We have had persons who was affixed the device,
04:03and because of the ailment, high blood pressure,
04:07their ankles started to swell,
04:09so the court had to remove the device.
04:12So while the electronic monitoring remains an important tool
04:15in supervising people outside of prison,
04:18Wednesday's hearing highlighted that its effectiveness depends not only on technology,
04:23but also on the circumstances of the person being monitored
04:27and the ability of the system to respond when that technology is compromised.
