Burglars, thieves and robbers in North Wales, who have been released from prison, will be made to wear GPS tags to track their movements in a world first scheme to crack down on neighbourhood criminals.
North Wales Police is one of the latest forces to ‘go live’ on the scheme, whereby offenders released from prison on licence will be electronically tagged for up to 12 months.
The force will automatically report any instance of acquisitive crime 365 days a year, and and the system will highlight any individuals on tag that come within 150 meters of an offence location.
With more than half of those convicted of theft and burglary reoffending within a year and almost 80% of cases resulting in no suspect being identified, this will be a vital extra source of intelligence to help us catch persistent offenders.
The intention is the tags will also act as a deterrent, protecting the public from further burglaries and thefts and forcing career criminals to choose a more honest way of making a living.
This initiative forms part of the force’s Integrated Offender Management Strategy Programme, which sees police and the Probation Service working together to reduce neighbourhood crime.
More information on the scheme can be found here: https://orlo.uk/bnLSF
