Editorial: Escape exposes failures

Phillip John Smith

It's hard to know where to start in reacting to the complete and utter balls-up that saw a convicted murderer and child abuser basically waltz out of prison and hop on a plane to South America.

Phillip Smith was on temporary release from Springhill Prison in the Waikato when he disappeared.

He fled the country last Thursday, but the Department of Corrections didn't know he was missing until Saturday.

For two days the authorities, those we trust to run our prison system, were unaware that a murderer who was jailed for offences, including crimes of sex and violence, had taken off.

I can understand the need for a temporary release system to help facilitate offenders' re-integration into society.

It does make sense, especially for long-serving prisoners, that re-entry into a society that will have changed over the years is made as smooth as possible, for the sake of rehabilitation and discouraging reoffending.

What I can't understand is why the system failed.

In March, Smith's parole was declined - his risk of reoffending was too high and he remained an undue risk to the safety of the community.

This was a man who, despite being in prison, managed to commit multiple instances of fraud.

(And is it a surprise a fraudster was able to lay his hands on a passport in order to flee the country?)

This is a man who has instilled such fear in his victims that family members have this week sought police protection.

Yet, for two days he was not monitored when he should have been.

I have no doubt investigations and enquiries will eventually pinpoint the failings that led to Smith's escape.

But that's little comfort to Smith's victims who will not rest easy until he is caught.

What we need to know, besides his whereabouts, is that it won't happen again, that systems are robust, and weaknesses and loopholes are dealt with.

The only reason we know the system failed is because Smith escaped.

It shouldn't take an incident like this to prompt greater scrutiny of the processes we have to trust to keep us safe.