BOOZY offenders will be slapped with hi-tech tags to stop them from drinking – just in time for pubs reopening across England.
Sobriety tags and drinking bans will be rolled out across England today to help stop town centre brawls and booze-fuelled rows blighting families across the country.
? Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates…
Ex-cons where booze played a part in their crime can be ordered to wear an ankle tag which monitors their sweat every 30 minutes – and alerts probation bosses if alcohol is detected.
The new tech can tell the difference between booze and hand sanitizer, which also contains alcohol, and will raise the alarm if lags try to take them off.
If they break bans they face further fines, extra restrictions, or even being sent back to prison.
Pubs in England open in less than a fortnight, with cops braced for a spike in booze-related crime as the nation unlocks.
Crime surveys say alcohol plays a part in nearly four in ten violent crimes – including domestic violence.
The tags will work alongside targeted professional support to get them help to stop them reoffending – but won't be given to alcoholics.
More than 100 offenders in Wales trialled the system last year – and they were proven to stay sober in 95 per cent of the data monitored.
Lags said it had helped turn their lives around and stay away from crime.
The £44million decade-long scheme will see 2,500 people use them across the UK in the next year.
SOARING CRIME
Minister for Crime and Policing, Kit Malthouse MP said last night: "These tags have already brought enormous benefit to Wales since they were introduced in October, with one offender I met saying it not only changed his ways but also saved his life.
“This smart and powerful new tool is helping the fight against alcohol-fuelled violence which ruins too many lives and families and creates mayhem in our town centres.”
It came as Home Secretary Priti Patel hit out at Labour last night as they accused ministers of overseeing soaring crime.
Launching the party's local elections push on crime they claimed criminals in the UK have "never had it so good" and accused ministers of "looking the other way" as crime cases go up.
Alcohol-fuelled violence ruins too many lives and creates mayhem in our town centres.
But the Home Secretary lashed out, saying it was Labour MPs who voted against tougher sentences for hardened criminals earlier this month.
She hit back: "Two weeks ago, Sir Keir Starmer voted against whole life sentences for child murderers.
"He voted against keeping violent offenders behind bars for longer. He voted against measures to crack down on knife crime, against protection for police officers, against life sentences for killer drivers – the list goes on and on.
"Labour have repeatedly stood on the side of criminals, and not on the side of our brave police."
She said that ministers had promised 20,000 more police on the streets, and tougher sentences for hardened criminals.
GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL [email protected]
Source: Read Full Article
