7,300 offenders get high-tech ankle tags in World Cup drinking crackdown
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A World Cup drinking ban is being enforced on 7,300 criminals through high-tech ankle tags.
Around 5,000 offenders, either released from prison or serving community sentences, had alcohol-sensitive tags fitted before the tournament, with 2,300 more expected to receive them.
The tags analyse a wearer’s sweat 24 hours a day, alerting probation officers if alcohol is consumed, and can distinguish between being in a pub and actively drinking.
Prisons, probation and reducing reoffending minister Lord James Timpson said that the measure aims to prevent alcohol-fuelled violence and disorder during major sporting events.
Since the technology’s rollout in 2020, offenders banned from alcohol have remained sober for 97 per cent of the days they were tagged, with violations potentially leading to court or prison.
