Electronic tags will monitor alcohol in drink offenders' blood (From Croydon Guardian)

Electronic tags will monitor alcohol in drink offenders' blood

12:39pm Saturday 11th February 2012 in Local news By Martin George

Criminals convicted of serious drink-related offences will be fitted with electronic tags that monitor alcohol in their blood.

The sobriety scheme will be piloted in London in a bid to tackle persistent alcohol offenders.

If people convicted of alcohol-related crimes such as assault or criminal damage continue drinking, judges will have powers to send them back to prison.

Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor for Crime and Policing said: “This pilot is great news for London and bad news for the persistent offenders who cause misery and mayhem with alcohol-fuelled violence.

“We hope this mini pilot will have a positive impact on 300 people this summer.

“Our alcohol survey proves the public want more done to tackle alcohol related crime, so although criminals may protest, this may be the short sharp shock they need.

“Offenders will have to ask themselves if a drink is really worth a night in jail.”

Last year the London Ambulance Service attended 51,718 incidents where alcohol was mentioned as involved - a 9 per cent increase on the previous year.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson cited a wider programme in South Dakota where 99.3 per cent of offender’ tests were negative, and the prison population fell by 14 per cent.