Corrections Minister Anne Tolley has spoken glowingly of the benefit of GPS-equipped ankle bracelets that will be fitted to high-risk criminals released into the community. The ability to monitor these offenders' movements around the clock would provide "peace of mind", she said.
This was not quite the language that would have been used by overseas authorities who have used the devices. They would have been rather more guarded in their comments - as Ms Tolley should have been.
The bracelets use satellite transmitting signals to enable tracking of offenders. Signals are sent to computers, which display the offender's whereabouts on an online map. Corrections staff will be alerted if they stray from their routine of working, shopping and suchlike into exclusion zones, such as parks or schools, or if they break curfew.
This is a substantial advance on existing electronic monitoring, which works only if an offender is in a set location, such as at home. Its introduction should, notably, enable Corrections to keep closer tabs on high-profile serial rapist Stewart Murray Wilson. It has asked the Parole Board to order him to wear a bracelet after his release from jail in September.
Clearly, the locators will be an important new tool. Sexual offending occurs under a shroud of secrecy. This device effectively removes that cover. But experience in North America has shown it can also engender an unwarranted sense of security among Corrections staff. The bracelet indicates only the location of an offender; it does not tell that a crime is being committed.