‘The revolving door of bail has got to stop’: Tougher bail laws for serial criminals in CLP’s crime crisis plan

MANDATORY electronic monitoring and scrapping the presumption in favour of bail for repeat offenders are among the key changes the CLP will put to parliament next week

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MANDATORY electronic monitoring and scrapping the presumption in favour of bail for repeat offenders are among the four key changes the CLP will put to parliament next week in a bid make it tougher for repeat youth criminals to get bail, the NT News can reveal.

New details of the Bail Amendment Bill 2021 proposed by the Opposition include a presumption against bail for anyone who has been convicted of two or more offences within two years, or is alleged to have committed a crime while on bail.

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It also calls for mandatory electronic monitoring if a repeat offender is given bail and the presumption against bail for anyone charged with a serious offence.

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said repeat offenders, who make up most of those committing crimes, had to face tougher penalties.

“The revolving door of bail has got to stop,” she said.

“These important bail reforms target serial offenders who repeatedly put the community at risk and make them accountable for their crimes.”

Ms Finocchiaro urged Chief Minister Michael Gunner to back the CLP’s bill to “end the chaos”.

“Territorians have had a gutful and are at breaking point,” she said. “These important bail reforms target serial offenders who repeatedly put the community at risk and make them accountable for their crimes.

“When the peak body representing 99 per cent of the Territory’s police force — the NT Police Association — is calling the Gunner government’s bail laws ‘weak’ and demanding action, it’s a blunt message that the current system isn’t working.”

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In response to the shocking crime statistics Chief Minister Gunner has promised he will unveil details of a crackdown on youth crime next week.

The measures could include what the government has branded “tougher than ever before consequences” for youth offenders who breach bail alongside increased police powers to tackle juvenile criminals.