Half of Offender Tags Fitted Late as Watchdog Warns of ‘False Sense of Assurance’

Almost half of the electronic tags used to monitor offenders in England and Wales are not fitted on time, with some criminals left untracked for up to five months, a watchdog report has found.

The report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation found that only 55 per cent of GPS and radio-frequency tags were fitted promptly, and just 60 per cent of alcohol-monitoring tags were installed within the required window, according to the BBC. One in ten offenders waited as long as five months for a tag, and the delays have led to repeated breaches of curfews and court orders.

HM Chief Inspector of Probation Martin Jones warned that the system was creating a “false sense of assurance” for victims and the public. “Expanding tagging programmes without addressing their weaknesses risks overpromising and underdelivering on public protection,” he said, adding that the technology’s potential was not being realised because frontline systems and practice had not kept pace.

The findings land just as the government prepares an early-release scheme that will see around 1,350 prisoners freed over a fortnight from 1 October, with tagging central to its public-safety plans, The Times reports. Sexual and violent offenders will be confined to “restriction zones” drawn up with input from victims, monitored by GPS tags.

Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman said victims needed to “know immediately” if a tag was delayed, while a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the government was delivering the “biggest expansion of tagging in British history” with £100 million in funding.

Sources:

• BBC News: Delays in fitting tags on offenders putting victims at risk, report finds
• The Times: Tagging prisoners gives ‘false sense of assurance’, warns watchdog
• The Sun: Lags left unmonitored for up to 5 months after electric tags fail