A new offender tracking system using satellite technology is being piloted by Hertfordshire police which allows police to follow their every move.
The current pilot scheme involving 30 convict volunteers has been very successful and is now being extended to 100 more volunteer offenders.
The cost per offender, estimated at £4,000 a year, is approximately half the cost of curfew tags now in use and is considerably less than £40,000 for a year in jail.
The £250 ankle bracelet, known as a ‘Buddi tracker’ (nicknamed ‘Chav Nav’ by police) uses mobile phone GPS satellite technology to locate an offender. It is linked to a website which is accessed by police. Officers see a map on which the offender is represented by a green spot.
The police can follow offenders’ current movements and track where they have been been as far back as a month. Police don’t need to go round up the ususal suspects, saving time, money and increasing police efficiency.
The new ankle bracelets can also be ‘paired’ with a GPS panic device carried by victims of stalkers or violent partners convicted of an offence against them, alerting victims should the offender approach within a fixed distance.
The current tagging bracelet can only alert the authorities if wearers leave their homes during curfew hours.