Prisoners freed without electronic tags because of staff shortages

Offenders including domestic abusers have been freed from jail without being electronically tagged because of staff shortages, The Telegraph understands.

Hundreds of prisoners, including potentially violent offenders, released early under the Government’s scheme are free to walk the streets without tags after shortages of staff led to delays in fitting the devices.

Officials said the early release of more prisoners had added to the delays. Lord Timpson, the prisons minister, is expected to express serious concerns at a meeting with officials from Serco, the private contractor responsible for the tags.

Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, is said to be “furious” over the delays, which sources said she regarded as part of “the atrocious inheritance we received from our predecessors”.

It comes days after she was forced to release 1,750 prisoners early to avoid jails running out of space.

Electronic tags are used to enforce home curfews on released prisoners or suspects on bail to ensure that they remain at an agreed address. They are part of a prisoner’s licence, with any breach leading to a recall to prison.

The tags enable their movements to be tracked 24/7. They use GPS to give pinpoint accuracy on an ex-prisoner’s location and are also used to police geographical bans so that violent offenders or domestic abusers are prevented from contacting their victims.

Under the rules, they have to be fitted within 48 hours of a prisoner being freed. The ex-offender has to stay at a fixed address for that length of time so it can be done.

It is understood staff shortages have meant that Serco, which manages the Electronic Monitoring Services (EMS) system, has not fitted them to the freed prisoners within the 48-hour deadline.

This backlog has let offenders walk free from their homes after 48 hours without any tags. Sources said the backlogs had been compounded because, when Serco staff turned up to fit the tags, the ex-prisoners could be out.

Ministry of Justice sources said domestic abusers were being prioritised to be tagged. They said Serco had recruited more staff, and that the backlogs were being remedied.

The MoJ has threatened financial penalties against Serco unless it clears the backlogs quickly. A spokesman said: “Tagging is an important part of our strategy to keep victims safe and cut reoffending, and there are currently record numbers of offenders wearing tags.

“We are holding Serco to account to address delays in fitting some offenders with tags, and will apply financial penalties against the company if this is not resolved quickly.

“While this issue is ongoing, we have prioritised tagging domestic abuse offenders to make sure their licence conditions, such as staying away from their victims, are strictly followed.”

Serco, which took over the electronic monitoring contract in May, said it had been “working hard to reduce the number of people waiting to have a tag fitted”. It said it was prioritising cases “based on risk profiles”.

The total number of individuals fitted with electronic tags has increased by 17 per cent, from 17,826 in June last year to 20,893 this June.

Writing in The Spectator, David Shipley, a former prisoner who was tagged, said the system appeared to have collapsed since he left jail.

“Nowadays, even probation officers struggle to get clear answers about whether or not tags have been fitted,” he said. “Several recently-released prisoners told me that their probation officers had asked them whether they had been fitted with a tag. How are they supposed to keep tabs if they don’t know this basic information?”