Knife crime offenders in London will be tagged with tracking devices upon their release from prison in an attempt to reduce violence in London.
People who have served sentences for knife-related crimes such as possession, robbery, wounding, GBH and aggravated burglary will be ordered to wear GPS tagging under a year-long pilot. This will begin on February 18, it will be used on up to 100 offenders deemed likely to reoffended in four of the highest knife crime areas in London – Lewisham, Lambeth, Croydon and Southwark.
The tags will automatically check the movements of the offenders against the locations of reported crimes and share matches with police.
The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said: “The causes of violent crime are extremely complex and involve deep-seated problems – such as poverty, inequality, social alienation and a lack of opportunities for young people – that enforcement alone won’t solve and have been made much worse by huge government cuts to the police and preventative services.
“This innovative pilot will build on the good work of the City Hall-funded violent crime taskforce by helping offenders integrate back into society and reducing the risk of reoffending, as well as giving the police the information they need to thoroughly investigate reported crimes.”
Carina Heckroodt, head of the London extremism, gangs and organised crime unit in the National Probation Service, said: “These tags will provide a constant physical reminder of an offender’s licence conditions, encouraging them to comply with their restrictions and deterring them from further offending and protecting victims.”
There were 128 homicides in London in 2018, this is the highest number in a decade. The longest London went without a killing was 16 days…
