Multi-agency review into Phillip Smith’s escape provided to Government

18 December 2014

A multi-agency review on the escape of Phillip Smith to South America has submitted its initial report to the Government today.

The review follows an earlier operational review by the Department of Corrections and interim measures put in place by the Department shortly after prisoner Smith’s escape, and will inform the Government Inquiry currently underway.

The report was prepared by the Ministry of Justice, Department of Corrections, New Zealand Police, New Zealand Customs Service, Department of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The review was led by the Ministry of Justice.

Ministry of Justice Chief Executive Andrew Bridgman says the first report of the multi-agency review focuses on longer term measures to minimise the risk that offenders can leave New Zealand to avoid justice.

“The six agencies that contributed to this report identified several areas to be addressed and this initial report is a starting point for further cross-agency work. Those areas include information sharing between agencies and improvements to processes to notify Customs so people of high interest to the criminal justice system can be stopped at the border.”

Mr Bridgman says this report and on-going work will feed into the Government Inquiry being undertaken by Hon John Priestley and Simon Murdoch.

A summary of the multi-agency report will be available on all relevant agencies’ websites.

It is not intended to publish the report until prisoner Smith’s court case and the Government Inquiry are complete.

A copy of the summary document is available at http://www.justice.govt.nz/media/media-releases/multi-agency-review-into-phillip-smiths-escape-provided-to-government

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