Domestic abusers to be electronically tagged on prison release

Probation staff will be alerted if an offender enters an area from which they are banned

Domestic abusers will be electronically tagged, in what is being described as the first pilot scheme of its kind in the UK.

Around 200 criminals in London will be fitted with GPS devices on release from prison.

The year-long City Hall pilot comes as figures from the Met showed a rise in domestic abuse during the pandemic.

London's mayor Sadiq Khan said the scheme was "vitally important to drive down this abhorrent crime."

The £230,000 project follows a similar anti-knife crime tagging scheme by the Mayor's Office for Crime and Policing (MOPAC), which saw 430 offenders monitored with GPS devices in 2019.

Mr Khan said the scheme would target perpetrators of abuse preventing further violence.

"It will help to better protect victims from harm and send a clear signal that abuse ends now," he said.

Sylvia, a victim of domestic abuse told BBC's Guy Lynn that "she lived every day in fear"

Sylvia, not her real name, is a victim of domestic abuse.

Her former husband started stalking her online and was seen visiting her road when he was released from prison.

"I live every day in fear. It's very frightening. Over the last couple of years, he's visited my road three times. He sets up fake up social media accounts to stalk me," she said.

The Metropolitan Police have added extra security cameras and an alarm system to the property, but Sylvia felt the GPS tagging system would have helped police find him much sooner and provided proof for prosecution.

"Police need help in the tracking of criminals once they're out of prison or on police bail," Sylvia said.

"It's very difficult. I'm always looking behind me."

Calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline rose by almost 50% in the first three weeks of lockdown

The scheme has also been backed by those working in probation.

Katie Nash, from the National Probation Service said the GPS tags would improve victim safety.

She added: "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."

Concerns have been raised over domestic abuse during the pandemic, with the Metropolitan Police recording a 6% increase in these offences between March and December 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.

Tens of thousands of offenders are monitored with electronic tags across the UK, either by a standard device that is linked to a box at a specific address or a GPS device that monitors location 24 hours a day.