Oz to share info on violent criminals

Information about New Zealand citizens being deported ... will also be shared. Police Minister Michael Woodhouse

NEW ZEALAND authorities will receive more information about dangerous criminals being deported from across the Tasman, after signing an informationsharing deal with Australia.

The agreement, which has been in the works for several years, will give New Zealand agencies up to six months’ advance notice of potential deportations of criminals from Australia.

Police Minister Michael Woodhouse said information about the New Zealand citizens being deported, such as their criminal conviction records, gang connections and fingerprints, would also be shared under the agreement.

Justice Minister Amy Adams said the agreement would resolve earlier problems caused by a lack of reliable information about individual offenders being deported, one of the barriers to managing their risk levels.

‘‘By having a fuller picture about the backgrounds of offenders who return to New Zealand, we will be in a stronger position to monitor and supervise those who pose a serious threat to the public,’’ Adams said.

Woodhouse described the agreement as a significant improvement on the information previously provided by Australia, and said it would help police to make better assessments about the risks posed by deported offenders.

Meetings on a trans-Tasman information-sharing deal were first held in 2013, after Christchurch teenager Jade Bayliss was murdered in 2011 by convicted killer Jeremy McLaughlin.

McLaughlin had been deported to New Zealand in 2001, after time in jail for killing a Perth teenager.

Adams said the signing would allow the Government to make progress on legislation to set up a supervision regime for offenders who are sent to New Zealand after serving their sentences overseas.

‘‘The intention of this new regime will be to provide essentially the same sort of oversight these offenders would have faced had they served their prison sentence in New Zealand.’’

A paper outlining the plans would be taken to Cabinet shortly.

Labour justice spokeswoman Jacinda Ardern said the agreement had been ‘‘a long time coming’’, but it was good that an arrangement had finally been reached.

The information agreement follows the setting up in July of a register of offenders deported to New Zealand, particularly from Australia.