Rapid expansion of electronic tagging in England and Wales risks public safety, watchdog warns
The UK's National Audit Office has warned that the rapid expansion of electronic tagging to ease prison overcrowding, without robust system improvements, could endanger public safety. Thousands of individuals who should be tagged may not be actively monitored.
Issues with the electronic monitoring system
The number of people under electronic monitoring in England and Wales has doubled to 28,700 over five years. The government plans to tag 22,000 offenders each year from 2027 to manage the prison capacity crisis by supervising more offenders in the community. However, the National Audit Office (NAO) report reveals that thousands may not be actively monitored.
As of March 2026, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) was reviewing approximately 8,900 cases – 24% of those required to be tagged – to determine the number of unmonitored cases. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) suggested a lower figure of around 5,450 unmonitored individuals.
Contractor performance failures
The report highlighted poor early performance from external contractor Serco. Between August 2024 and July 2025, individuals were not tagged on time and officials were not notified of potential breaches promptly, though performance has since improved.
The backlog of visits to fit, check, or remove tags peaked at 7,000 in October 2024 before dropping to below 400 in November 2024. In February 2026, Serco met its 95% timeliness target for visits but successfully fitted tags on only 62% of the people visited within two attempts.
Staff shortages and warnings
An estimated shortfall of about 2,200 probation staff as of March 2026 raised concerns about the system's ability to scale up safely. NAO head Gareth Davies stated the system is not working effectively, creating risks to public protection. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the public accounts committee, said the government does not know how many tagged offenders are unmonitored and lacks capacity to respond quickly to breaches.
Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, urged the government to take the NAO findings seriously and not view electronic monitoring as a panacea. An MoJ spokesperson responded that the government inherited a failing tagging system with record backlogs and noted that install rates have risen by almost 50% since 2024. They highlighted a £100 million investment in electronic monitoring, including new alert systems to strengthen victim protections, as well as a £700 million investment in probation and the hiring of additional trainee officers.
