Burglars and muggers will be tagged with GPS technology so they can be tracked round the clock, under plans to be revealed today.
Career criminals will have the tags fitted to their ankles so they can be pinpointed at any time if a crime has been committed.
It will also help police to find them immediately if they break their curfews or they are wanted for questioning.
Criminals will have tags fitted to their ankles
The move, unveiled by Conservatives keen to show they are tough on crime, also comes with a pledge to ensure that all sentences carry some element of punishment.
But critics said it would just mean more criminals being handed short jail sentences, heaping more pressure on the prison service.
The proposals will be published today in the Crime and Courts Bill, which will also lift the £5,000 cap on compensation criminals can pay to victims. It will allow courts to base sentences on an offender’s possessions, such as luxury cars, rather than on income.
David Cameron said GPS tagging of criminals would make it ‘literally impossible to duck under the radar’. He added: ‘If you’re on a community sentence... you will be properly punished.’
But shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan said: ‘This is nothing more than a smokescreen to try and cover up 29 wasted months of dithering on law and order.’
Metro
What do you think of the move? Do you welcome it, or do you think it will put more pressure on the prison services?