Desert Blue Connect urges State Government to be transparent on GPS monitoring issues for alleged offenders

A Mid West support service dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence is urging the State Government to be clear on why the electronic monitoring of alleged offenders is not working, saying the safety of victims is paramount. On Tuesday, it emerged authorities could not manage tracking people accused of crimes outside of the Perth metropolitan area, after an alleged domestic violence offender in Bunbury was granted bail without electronic monitoring due to “exceptional circumstances”. Magistrate Tanya Watt’s decision exposed a loophole in the GPS tracker regime, which mandates an ankle bracelet monitor be applied to serial family violence offenders, or a person who is subject to a restraining order and is accused of a further offence. Desert Blue Connect chief executive Russell Pratt said he was shocked to learn authorities were unable to accurately track individuals through mandated devices outside of Perth. “We would like to know exactly what is not working, why this failure has occurred, and what is being done to fix it — urgently,” he said. “Transparency and accountability are essential — not just in identifying the issue, but in outlining the actions being taken and when they will be implemented.” Mr Pratt said the organisation was unsure of whether the issue extended to the Mid West region. However, he stressed the urgency of the issue, saying victims were the ones affected the most. “The failure of this system has real consequences with victims and survivors already living in constant fear,” Mr Pratt said. “To now discover that the monitoring technology intended to provide them with increased safety may not be working only deepens their fear and increases their risk.” On Tuesday, Premier Roger Cook defended the State’s laws forcing repeat and high-risk domestic violence offenders to be subjected to GPS monitoring, saying it was up to the courts whether or not to award bail. “If the courts cannot make an arrangement whereby an accused serial domestic violence offender cannot be properly monitored, they need to be put behind bars,” he said. “Everything is treated on a case-by-case basis, but what we’re saying is that the courts are empowered to make decisions that prioritise the protections of the domestic-violence victim ahead of the ankle bracelet or electronic monitoring equipment capacities.” Earlier this year, Geraldton man and accused family violence offender Phillip Aaron Dodd was alleged to have breached his electronic monitoring conditions by twice removing his ankle bracelet, avoiding police for more than two weeks before he was found in a cupboard in a house in Utakarra. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)