Satellite tracking of offenders

Cutting edge satellite technology is to be brought to Scotland to track offenders for the first time following the signing of a new contract, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has announced.

The Justice Secretary said the award of the contract marked a significant step forward in the tools available to Scotland’s law enforcement agencies to ensure offenders complied with the strict conditions placed on them upon release into the community.

Under the previous contract, only ‘radio frequency’ technology could be used to establish when an offender had broken the terms of their release into the community. However, a new contract has now been signed with G4S to bring the very latest satellite tracking systems to Scotland.

The technology works by using Global Positioning Systems to continuously track offenders’ whereabouts in order to monitor compliance with restrictions handed down by the authorities. If an offender steps out of line and breaches the conditions of their community sentence or release on licence, an alarm will be triggered, meaning local agencies can respond with immediate effect.

By utilising satellite tracking technology and the GPS, police officers can now respond swiftly to locate and apprehend offenders when necessary.

The technology can also be used to establish ‘exclusion zones’ which will mean an alarm will be triggered whenever an offender comes into the vicinity of an area they are prohibited from entering.