Met Police Adjusts Stance on Electronic Tag Breaches Amid Resource Strain

Breach notifications will still undergo review under the revised guidelines. An arrest will only follow if risk or safeguarding concerns emerge.

The Met anticipates this change will reduce the number of breaches requiring a police response by more than 15 percent.

The Met responds to over 100 tagging breaches daily; many are low-level and result in no court consequences. Those considered most dangerous, including perpetrators of domestic abuse, will continue to receive priority treatment.

A Met Police Spokesperson stated, "Where offenders have briefly stepped outside for a cigarette, or police are notified 19 hours later that they were 15 minutes late returning home, tying up several officers for hours is not the best use of resources." The scheme covers individuals bailed by the courts, including convicted offenders and those awaiting trial.

The Met stresses its revised approach focuses on evaluating the risk posed by each breach, rather than categorising the type of offender involved. This change comes as the Met faces increasing demands linked to the Government's early prisoner release programme, which has seen more offenders monitored in the community under licence conditions.

System delays compound the problem. Authorities sometimes do not receive breach alerts for hours, during which time further crimes can be committed. Fitting tags on offenders takes up to five months, with only 55 percent fitted on time.

The Government defends its wider approach, stating it inherited a prison system 'on the brink of collapse'. Failing to act, officials argue, would have created serious risks across the criminal justice system. Ministers insist public safety remains the priority, pointing to expanded electronic tagging, tougher licence conditions, and increased investment in policing and probation services.

A Government Spokesperson claimed that inaction would have compelled police 'to halt arrests, putting communities at untold risk'. They also pointed to police funding rising to £18.5bn and record investment in the probation service. More than 4,500 inmates, including violent criminals, are eligible for early release over the next ten months under Labour's early release scheme.

Probation officers asked charities for tents to distribute to released prisoners. A probation officer noted that the usual year-long period to find an offender a place to live had been cut to a few weeks as a result of the scheme.