Mayor launches first programme to ‘tag’ domestic abuse offenders

Mayor launches first programme to ‘tag’ domestic abuse offenders

*Sadiq funds new programme to tag domestic abuse offenders with GPS tracking devices after prison release

*Tags to be fitted to up to 200 perpetrators of domestic abuse in drive to reduce the risk victims face when an offender is released and to change offender behaviour

*New scheme sits alongside Mayor’s record £60.5m investment tackling all violence against women and girls

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced the first-ever UK pilot programme to tag perpetrators of domestic abuse with GPS tracking devices upon release from prison to better protect victims of abuse and address the behaviour of offenders.

From today [Tuesday], offenders who have served a prison sentence for a domestic abuse-related offence, such as stalking, harassment, physical abuse, sexual abuse and coercive control, will be tagged with a GPS tracking device as part of their release conditions.

City Hall is investing £230,000 in this pilot, which will run for a year across every London borough. It is the first programme of its type focused on tagging domestic abuse offenders and it will help police and probation services reduce the risk faced by victims of domestic abuse, children and future partners when perpetrators are released at the end of their sentence.

The pilot has been launched following consultation with the Violence Against Women and Girls sector and also aims to change the behaviour of perpetrators of abuse, acting as a deterrent and ensuring enforcement action can be taken if offenders break the conditions of their release.

It comes as figures show there has been an increase in domestic abuse over the last year, with calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline increasing by 49 per cent in the three weeks after the first lockdown on 23 March 2020. The Metropolitan Police recorded a six per cent increase in domestic abuse offences between March 2020 to December 2020 , compared to the same period in 2019. In 2020 as a whole more than 94,500 domestic abuse offences were recorded.[1]

Domestic abuse offenders will be fitted with tags which will monitor their location, enabling probation services and the police to ensure offenders are following the conditions of their release, and take action if they breach these conditions or commit a criminal offence. This could include conditions such as not entering ‘exclusion zones’ which could cover the address of a victim, or ensuring that offenders are arrested if they breach a restraining order, as well as providing GPS location data that can be used to verify a victim’s account of any re-offending behaviour.

The new scheme builds on the work of City Hall’s GPS tagging pilot for knife crime offenders, which was launched in February 2019 and has seen more than 430 subject to GPS monitoring upon release from prison. It has demonstrated that GPS tags can play a key role in ensuring offenders comply with the conditions of their release from prison as well as ensuring that those who reoffend are swiftly returned to prison. During the pilot programme, probation staff specifically highlighted that introducing GPS tagging for domestic abuse offenders would be beneficial in protecting victims in domestic abuse cases.[2] Following the success of these pilot programmes, the Mayor has committed to investing a proportion of £8m of new funding for violence prevention programmes, in expanding GPS tagging of violent offenders after prison release.[3]

In order to support victims of domestic abuse during the pandemic, the Mayor launched a £1.5m emergency response fund in May last year to provide victims of domestic abuse with safe accommodation and support if they need to flee their homes during lockdown. This has funded temporary bed spaces for more than 250 adults and 100 children providing them with access to safe accommodation where they could self-isolate and get support, including mental health, legal and social care help, as well as food and medical supplies.

Since 2016, the Mayor has invested a record £60.5m in tackling all violence against women and girls, which is working to save lives, reduce waiting lists and keep doors open for vital specialist support services for victims. City Hall has also invested £2.5m in innovative programmes focused on addressing the behaviour of perpetrators of abuse, such as the Drive programme and London’s Stalking Threat Assessment Centre, which brings together the police, probation services and the CPS to addressing the issues surrounding the perpetrator and work to manage the risk of potential repeat offending.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am committed to doing everything in my power to protect victims of domestic abuse and that’s why I have invested £1.5m to provide emergency accommodation and specialist support during the pandemic.

“Sadly we have seen a rise in domestic abuse during lockdown and as well as working to protect victims, it’s vitally important we also focus on addressing the behaviour of offenders to drive down this abhorrent crime.

“That is why I am investing in a new pilot programme – the first of its kind in the UK – to specifically tag domestic abuse offenders after their release from prison. In London we’ve already pioneered the use of GPS tagging for knife crime offenders, and demonstrated that it can help to prevent re-offending, drive down violence, and protect victims. Our new scheme targeting perpetrators of abuse will prevent further violence, help to better protect victims from harm and send a clear signal that abuse ends now.”

Suky Bhaker, Chief Executive Officer, The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, said: “Suzy Lamplugh Trust welcomes the addition of a new programme tagging offenders with GPS tracking devices after prison release. Ex-intimate partners make up over half of all stalking cases. We know that the risk to the victim is heightened when they leave the relationship, research has also shown as many as 55% of stalkers go on to reoffend, therefore it is vital that as much protection as possible is granted to the victim in order to reduce risk"

Katie Nash, Head of Public Protection for the National Probation Service (London Division) said: “This pilot gives us the opportunity to use technology to improve the management of the risk posed to past, current and future partners and children. The GPS tags will be an integral part of risk management plans​ as they enable us to monitor compliance with Licence conditions to improve victim safety.”

Lisa Watson, Probation Officer: “The GPS tagging has been invaluable for cases where there has been ongoing domestic abuse concerns. I am notified immediately if someone breaches their curfew or exclusion zone, such as if they approach the victim’s home or place of work. I can then assess risk in real time and take immediate action to protect victims.”

Joel Hutchinson, Probation Officer: “I used GPS as part of the Mayor’s Office for Poling and Crime pilot for a period of monitoring for a high risk offender being released from prison. The system was extremely effective, quick to arrange and once the offender was released, alerted me immediately of any concerns with regards to compliance and adhering to licence conditions. I was provided with a very useful weekly overview of movements, and if I contacted Buddi (the electronic monitoring provider), I was provided with prompt feedback to help manage any immediate risk concerns.”

Case study of an offender fitted with a GPS tag on release from prison

A 62-year-old man was given a prison sentence for threatening his wife with a knife. He was fitted with a GPS monitoring tag as part of the conditions upon his release from prison. The offender was given a GPS-monitored exclusion zone around the victim’s address, and probation were notified when this was breached.

The probation officer was able to take swift action knowing that the offender had not only entered the exclusion zone but specifically gone to the victim’s road. The offender was recalled and returned to custody on the basis that he was shown to be an on-going risk to the partner.