Electronic tag delays put victims at risk in England and Wales, inspectorate finds

Delays in fitting electronic tags in England and Wales are putting victims at risk, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation has found. The BBC reports that 55% of GPS and radio-frequency tags were fitted on time, compared with 60% of alcohol-monitoring tags. Some offenders waited up to five months for a tag, with delays linked to repeated breaches of court and prison orders. [1]

The inspectorate also found that major violations were raised and explored in 46% of relevant cases, the BBC reported, raising concerns about how monitoring data is used. [1]

In July, the National Audit Office said the prison and probation service and contractor Serco had reduced backlogs in fitting tags. It nevertheless judged that electronic monitoring was not working as intended and posed risks to public protection. [2]