A recent report indicates that thousands of offenders are not wearing electronic tags, raising concerns about public safety and the capacity of the probation service. These electronic tags are used to enforce strict conditions, such as curfews or geographical limitations, as part of punishments for various offenses.
The Ministry of Justice, however, disputes the report's figures, stating its own review found 5,450 individuals were un-monitored. The report highlights a shortfall of approximately 2,200 full-time probation officers, a number the government aims to reduce to around 1,500 by September. This shortage is a significant concern for probation officers who are responsible for checking compliance with release terms, including the wearing of ankle tags and drug abstinence.
Probation officers have expressed worries about their ability to manage an increasing caseload, particularly with plans to expand electronic monitoring under the Sentencing Act 2026. This act aims to alleviate prison pressures by managing more offenders within the community, potentially leading to early releases for thousands of prisoners from autumn, including those convicted of serious crimes. Probation officers fear that being overworked and understaffed could compromise public safety.
While the security contractor Serco, which manages the tagging system, met its target for fitting tags within the specified time frame for visits, it was only successful in fitting tags on 62% of the individuals visited within its two attempts. The National Audit Office (NAO), which produced the report, is urging the government to improve data quality and management of the monitoring system. Ministers estimate that an additional 22,000 individuals will require tagging annually from 2027.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, stated that expanding electronic monitoring without improving the service's resilience and efficiency risks wasting public money and endangering public safety. The Ministry of Justice acknowledged inheriting a "failing tagging system with record backlogs" but asserted that efforts have been made to rectify the situation, with installation rates reportedly up by nearly 50% since the beginning of 2024. The ministry also pointed to a £700 million investment in probation and the recruitment of 2,300 trainee probation officers over the past two years, with an additional 1,300 planned for the current year, to ensure the Probation Service has adequate resources for surveillance.