// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Delays in fitting electronic tags putting victims at risk, report finds
Almost half of electronic tags used to track offenders' movements are not fitted on time, with significant delays putting victims in England and Wales at risk, a report has found.
The report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) says some criminals are waiting up to five months to be fitted with a tag, leading to repeated breaches of court and prison orders.
Only 55% of GPS and radio frequency tags were fitted on time, while 60% of alcohol monitoring tags were fitted promptly, according to the report's findings.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the government was delivering the "biggest expansion of tagging in British history" with £100 million in funding.
Electronic monitoring is used by the Probation Service to track curfews and conditions of a court or prison order.
A total of 27,847 people were given tagging orders with equipment in England and Wales as of June 2026.
"There is a real danger that electronic monitoring creates a false sense of assurance if the technology is not matched by effective professional practice," said Martin Jones CBE, HM Chief Inspector of Probation.
"Expanding tagging programmes without addressing their weaknesses risks overpromising and underdelivering on public protection," he added.
In some cases, there were waits of more than two weeks for the equipment while one in 10 people waited five months to be tagged after the required time.
Some of the reasons for tags not being fitted on time included individuals not making themselves available.