09 January 2004
Powers to electronically tag 17-year-old offenders who are on bail have been rolled out across England following successful pilots.
Under the scheme, electronic equipment in the home will help offenders observe their curfew times, keeping them off the streets at times when they might commit crimes. This means that 17-year-olds will now be subject to the same sanctions that have applied to juvenile offenders (12 to 16-year-olds) since June 2002.
Bail tagging for 17-year-olds has been used in ten street crime areas, including inner London, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, since July 2002.
Home Office Minister Paul Goggins said there was a small group of young offenders who were responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. 'We are giving courts across the country strengthened powers to deal with 17-year-olds who are involved in serious offences whilst on bail,' he said.
'Tagging is an effective extra option to control offenders' behaviour and reduce repeat offending and is an important weapon in our armoury for reducing youth crime and making our streets safer.'
PFjan2004
