STORY
Around 7,300 offenders are expected to be made to wear alcohol monitoring tags during the World Cup, the Ministry of Justice has announced. The Government said the tags would be used for offenders released from prison or serving community sentences where alcohol misuse was linked to their offending.
The tags test alcohol levels through the wearer’s skin and operate continuously. Ministers said they were intended to reduce alcohol-related crime during a period when drinking is expected to increase as football fans watch matches in pubs and at home.
The Ministry of Justice said alcohol-related offending places a significant cost on communities and public services. The policy forms part of the Government’s wider criminal justice programme, with ministers arguing that technology can be used to monitor offenders outside prison more effectively.