Thousands of offenders not wearing electronic tags, report says

Thousands of offenders not wearing electronic tags, report saysBySima KotechaSenior UK correspondentPublished2 minutes agoAlmost 9,000 people in England and Wales required to have an electronic monitoring tag do not have one, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has found.They are likely to include violent offenders and prisoners released from jail who need to be checked on.The NAO said, as of March 2026, prison authorities were reviewing around 8,900 cases of individuals recorded as having an active monitoring order but no tag.However, the Ministry of Justice has disputed the figure, saying its own review puts the number of unmonitored individuals at 5,450.It said the NAO figure referred to the total number of cases they are checking to see if they need monitoring.The NAO called the current system "inefficient".Electronic monitoring, also known as tagging, is used in England and Wales as a way of monitoring curfews and conditions of a court or prison order.There are three types: Curfew tags, location tags, and alcohol tags.A total of 28,700 people were recorded as being tagged in England and Wales as of March 2026.The NAO said some of the 8,900 cases would include people who were registered as being tagged by mistake.But it also said the real number of those slipping through the system could be "significant".Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Earlier this year, the Ministry of Justice announced plans to significantly expand electronic monitoringPeople can be identified as being "unmonitored" for a number of reasons. These can include errors in the system, refusal to wear a tag, a delay in the fitting of the tag, or an arrest where the tag is removed.But it can also include people who haven't been tagged when they should have been.Responding to the NAO's report, the Ministry of Justice said: "Public protection is our priority, which is why we're investing £100m in electronic monitoring, tagging offenders...