Community sentences to be strengthened
Community sentences are to be made tougher, with more unpaid work, “sobriety tags” and 24-hour GPS tagging in a £100million Budget package. The money will fund longer “community service” orders and the nationwide roll-out of sobriety tags that alert police when released criminals with alcohol problems have a drink. At least 4,000 criminals including violent gang members, stalkers and domestic abusers will be put on 24-hour GPS tagging.
COMMUNITY sentences are to be made tougher for offenders with more unpaid work, “sobriety tags” and 24-hour GPS tagging in a £100million Budget package to be announced by the Chancellor.
The money will fund longer “community service” orders, which are currently limited to a maximum of 300 hours, and the nationwide roll-out of sobriety tags that alert police when released criminals with alcohol problems have a drink.
Furthermore, at least 4,000 criminals including violent gang members, stalkers and domestic abusers will be put on 24-hour GPS tagging.
That will account for £70million of the funding, with an extra £30million to tackle domestic abuse as well as supporting rape and sexual abuse victims by speeding up their cases and providing them with dedicated advisers.
Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, said: “Keeping our streets safe is one of the people’s priorities. We are already delivering on this by hiring 20,000 new police officers and building 10,000 new prison places.
“At Budget, we will go even further with new funding to toughen up community sentences, crack down on domestic abuse and provide victims with the support they need.”
Legislation paving the way for the sobriety tags is due within the next two months and follows trials in London, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
About 40 per cent of violent crime is linked to alcohol, and repeat offenders account for the majority of convictions.
Half of prisoners are reconvicted within a year of release and the Government hopes to bring this down by keeping them away from alcohol.
Under the plans, judges will have the power to order offenders to wear sobriety tags if they are considered to have an alcohol problem or if they had committed a drink-related crime.
The tags will be an alternative to prison for people convicted of crimes such as drink driving, minor drunken assaults, or using threatening words and behaviour. The tags can also be used for criminals who are released from prison under licence. The devices monitor alcohol concentrations in sweat, and alert the authorities if an offender has been drinking.
Electronic tags are already used nationwide, allowing courts and police to create “exclusion zones” to bar gang members from their former territories, and keep stalkers and domestic abusers away from their victims. Probation officers will now be able to use them to monitor offenders’ lifestyles 24/7, so action could be taken if they spend too much time in clubs or gambling.
The £15 million to tackle domestic abuse will focus on high-risk, high-harm abusers through early interventions. It will also include a £5million fund to trial new domestic abuse courts, which will consider family and criminal matters in parallel.
♦ Rishi Sunak will announce £50million of funding to improve accessibility for disabled and elderly people at 12 stations in tomorrow’s Budget.
Stations that will be made step-free are Apsley, Herts; Beeston, Notts; Eaglescliffe, Durham; East Grinstead, West Sussex; Eridge, East Sussex; Flitwick, Beds; Ockenden, Essex; Newtown, Powys; Walkden, Greater Manchester; Motspur Park, South Croydon, and Tooting, all in London.