Merepeka: Public safety must be actioned

Antonio Gotingco with a photo of his wife Blessie is demanding change in the way our justice system manages released prisoners like Tony Robertson who murdered and raped Mrs Gotingco two years ago.

Nothing changes if nothing changes. And change is exactly what Antonio Gotingco is demanding from our justice system.

It was his beautiful wife Blessie who was brutally raped and murdered in May 2014 by Tony Robertson.

It is only recently that he has spoken about his Blessie, "his world, his everything". Watching him being interviewed on TV, it is obvious this is a loving, caring family. They have three children and one grandchild. And now Blessie is gone.

I think Mr Gotingco is right. How the Department of Corrections manage released prisoners like Robertson is the problem I believe. There needs to be a new, and better, management and monitoring plan put in place. If not, Mr Gotingco says we can expect a repeat of what happened to his Blessie.

Robertson was no stranger to the justice system. He had only been released five months earlier after serving time for abducting and indecently assaulting a young girl.

An independent government inquiry now concludes that Robertson alone was responsible for Blessie's death. Nevertheless they have recommended 27 changes be made to improve the management of high-risk offenders like Robertson. Mr Gotingco acknowledges that it was Robertson alone who killed his wife but he says by putting Robertson in that community, the Department "enabled" him to commit his horrendous crime.

It appears the Gotingco family are not alone in their wish to see improvements made when high-risk prisoners are finally released back into the community.

Examples of high-risk parolee management and monitoring by other countries, including the US, show they have a far tougher regime than we do. Parolees are constantly under surveillance, and not only by electronic monitoring. They put people power on to the job. No doubt this is costly but it appears public safety isn't just something you talk about, it's something that has to be actioned and demonstrated.

At present the Gotingco family are contemplating whether or not to sue the Department of Corrections. They can't believe nothing could have been done to prevent Robertson killing Blessie. They have launched an appeal, asking the New Zealand public to provide financial support so they can undertake their own independent review. If this review comes up with different findings to the Government's one, they may take further action. The vein of public dissatisfaction and impatience has been tapped into. More than $100,000 has so far been pledged.

High-risk offenders are exactly that, high-risk, and adequate time and planning must precede their release back into society. When a tragedy like the murder of Blessie Gotingco occurs you can understand that a family will be devastated and want justice. This family have kept their silence for two years. They have grieved and will continue to do so. They have thought things through, not only from their own point of view, but for others who care about the safety of their fellow citizens. The innocent families whose lives will be forever shattered if something doesn't change. Theirs is an appeal that deserves the widest possible support.

- Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.