The home secretary has backed the use of satellite tracking technology to monitor persistent offenders.

David Blunkett and correctional services minister Paul Goggins were in Manchester on Thursday to attend a demonstration of the new electronic tagging technique which will be used to keep tabs on offenders.

The ministers inspected the Securicor "eye in the sky" system which they hope to roll out nationally in the coming years if the pilots in three areas prove effective.

The government wants the technology to be harnessed so that sex offenders cannot approach their victims and new exclusion orders for burglars and car thieves can be enforced.

With prison numbers predicted to rise the Home Office has been looking at alternative techniques for ensuring offenders released into the community do not break their curfews or probation orders.

It is hoped a secure tagging system will enable the authorities to use community based sentencing, which is more effective in reducing re-offending, in a wider variety of circumstances.

Tracking

When working successfully the satellite system should be able to track anyone wearing a tag in any specific part of the country.

Currently electronic tags can only sound an alarm if an offender leaves their home at an unauthorised time.

Blunkett said repeat offenders would be the primary target.

"The government is determined to be at the cutting edge of technology in the drive to make our communities safer and ensure more effective sentencing of offenders," he said.

"Thanks to this government's sentencing reforms, life now means life for the most heinous crimes. This technology will allow us to be equally tough with offenders released from prison using the latest technology to ensure they are sticking to the conditions of their licence and staying away from crime.

"However, our sentencing reforms were not just about being tougher on the most serious offenders. This technology will allow us to develop and promote the tough community sentences which are vital if we are to prevent re-offending and give non-violent offenders a chance to serve an effective sentence in the community.

"The public have to be confident that this 'prison without bars' works and that it gives the police and probation services the tools they need to protect them."

Cost

But probation union Napo have warned that the cost will be prohibitive.

Assistant general secretary Harry Fletcher said: "This will prove to be a very expensive resource and therefore must be limited to those offenders that pose the highest risk of harm to the public.

"Satellite tracking is another form of control which by itself will not prevent crime. It must be seen as part of a package."

However Probation Service director general Steve Murphy said the move was a natural extension of his department's work.

"The Probation Service is already successfully managing offenders subject to electronic tagging," he said.

"Introducing satellite tracking represents the next step in monitoring offender movements whilst they serve the community element of any sentence.

"This testing of satellite tracking will enable probation staff and police forces to work even more closely in protecting the public."

And Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten offered his party's backing.
 
"This technology could be a real step forward both for public protection and for public confidence in community sentences," he said.

"Satellite tracking opens up new possibilities for offenders to pay back the communities they have harmed while ensuring that their movements are closely monitored."

Substitute

But Tory shadow attorney general Dominic Grieve warned that tracking should not become a substitute for prison.

"We welcome this and point out that the Conservative Party suggested the use of satellite technology to track convicted paedophiles back in 2002. We are glad the government is belatedly getting its act together," he said.

"We are concerned, however, about the motives for the introduction of this scheme. Whilst we support the tagging of certain prisoners David Blunkett should not tag prisoners and let them out of jail earlier simply as a way of freeing up space in our already overcrowded prisons.

"We must remember that technology is never fool-proof and should not be used as a cheap alternative to prison. These pilots must be administered with the utmost caution; public safety must always remain our number one priority."