Nottinghamshire Leads Charge with GPS Tags on Burglars
Nottinghamshire Police is pioneering a tough new government scheme that tags serious burglars, robbers, and thieves with GPS trackers once they’re released from prison. The pilot, part of the Ministry of Justice’s Electronic Monitoring Acquisitive Crime Project, targets offenders who get over three months behind bars for acquisitive crimes.
Tagging to Track, Catch, and Stop Repeat Offenders
Currently, around 80 offenders in Nottinghamshire wear these digital ankle bracelets under strict police watch. Since January, the scheme’s shown promising results — 72% of tagged criminals haven’t reoffended. Daily crime mapping data is sent to the Ministry of Justice, matching real crime scenes with GPS locations to flag suspects fast.
First Conviction Sealed by GPS Evidence
The new tech isn’t just tracking — it’s also securing convictions. Nottingham’s Darron Childs, 23, was caught red-handed at the scene of an attempted burglary in Hyson Green thanks to his GPS data. He was arrested, found guilty, and sentenced to 12 weeks in jail in November 2022.
“This tagging programme is a real step up in managing offenders and cutting down burglary, robbery, and theft,” said Inspector Paul Harris, Nottinghamshire Police’s tactical lead for offender monitoring. “It helps us act swiftly to catch repeat offenders and makes our streets safer.”
Team Effort Behind the Scenes
Inspector Harris highlighted that the scheme is a coordinated effort. Every GPS ‘proximity hit’ goes through the Force Intelligence Bureau and is passed to detectives who act fast on the info. Nottinghamshire also runs voluntary GPS and sobriety tagging projects to tackle alcohol-related crimes.
With Nottinghamshire at the forefront of electronic offender monitoring, police hope this high-tech crackdown will keep communities safer and crime rates lower.
