Nottinghamshire Police Crack Down on Burglars with GPS Tags
Nottinghamshire Police are leading the charge in the fight against acquisitive crime with a new government-backed tagging scheme. The pilot project forces serious offenders—burglars, robbers, and thieves—to wear GPS trackers once released from prison. The aim? To smash crime rates and catch reoffenders fast.
Tracking Criminals 24/7
Under this Ministry of Justice initiative, offenders sentenced to more than three months get tagged on release and are closely monitored via Nottinghamshire’s Integrated Offender Management programme. Around 80 offenders are currently wearing these electronic tags as part of the trial.
The results so far are promising. Since January, 72% of tagged offenders have stayed clean with no new offences. The system sends daily GPS and crime data to the Ministry of Justice, which flags any ‘proximity hits’—times and places where tagged offenders might link to crimes—back to police for immediate action.
Burglar Nabbed Thanks to GPS Data
The new system’s power was showcased when 23-year-old Darron Childs became the first Nottinghamshire offender caught using GPS tracking data. The ex-burglar was found near the scene of an attempted burglary at Hyson Green. Police arrested him quickly, and he was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail by nottingham/" title="Nottingham" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Nottingham Magistrates’ Court in November 2022.
Police Say Tagging Is Game-Changer
Inspector Paul Harris, Nottinghamshire Police’s tactical lead on electronic monitoring, said: “We’re at the forefront of this technology. The tagging scheme is a real step up in managing offenders and cutting acquisitive crimes like burglary, robbery and theft.”
“We want to prevent these invasive crimes before they happen. By tracking offenders, we’re making streets safer and hitting those who cause misery in our communities.”
Inspector Harris explained how each ‘hit’ from GPS data is sifted by the Force Intelligence Bureau and passed to detectives who can act fast. The pilot fits into a wider strategy including other tagging schemes like voluntary GPS and sobriety tags for alcohol-fuelled offenders.
In Nottinghamshire, electronic tagging isn’t just about punishment—it’s about smarter policing to stop crime in its tracks.
