Nottinghamshire Police Lead the Charge with GPS Tagging To Nab Burglars
Nottinghamshire Police are trialling a cutting-edge government scheme targeting serious acquisitive crime offenders. Under the Ministry of Justice-backed Electronic Monitoring Acquisitive Crime Project, hardened burglars, robbers, and thieves who get prison sentences over three months are forced to wear GPS tags on release.
Tracking Offenders to Stop Repeat Crimes
The force currently monitors around 80 tagged offenders as part of the pilot. Since January, a massive 72% of those tagged haven’t reoffended. Every 24 hours, GPS location data is checked against actual crimes by the Ministry of Justice, with “proximity hits” sent back for police to follow up swiftly.
GPS Data Leads to First Conviction in Nottinghamshire
A breakthrough case saw 23-year-old nottingham/" title="Nottingham" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Nottingham burglar Darron Childs caught red-handed. His GPS tag placed him near an attempted burglary in Hyson Green. Police arrested and charged Childs, who was later jailed for 12 weeks after a guilty verdict at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court in November 2022.
Police Praise the Technology and Team Effort
“We are at the forefront of electronic monitoring,” said Inspector Paul Harris, tactical lead for Integrated Offender Management and tagging. “This tagging scheme boosts offender management, reduces burglary, robbery and theft, and helps us catch repeat offenders quickly.”
“Our goal is to prevent these crimes, making streets safer and cracking down on those causing misery in our communities,” he added.
Insp Harris explained the collaborative approach: “Every GPS hit is processed by the Force Intelligence Bureau and passed to the Criminal Investigation Department, leading to arrests. We also run voluntary GPS schemes and sobriety tags to aid rehabilitation.”
Nottinghamshire’s pilot project could pave the way for nationwide rollout, using smart tech to keep communities safer and hit criminals where it hurts – on their freedom.
