News

Fewer than three in five people believe tagging is an effective way of protecting the public

Electronic tags have been in place in Northern Ireland since 2009
Electronic tags have been in place in Northern Ireland since 2009 Electronic tags have been in place in Northern Ireland since 2009

JUST under three in five people believe that electronic tagging is an effective way of protecting the public.

The figure is part of the latest Northern Ireland Crime Survey, published by the Department of Justice.

Almost 60 per cent of almost 2,000 respondents said that they were either "very or fairly confident" that electronic monitoring is "effective at protecting the public", a rise of five per cent from the survey in 2014/15.

A slightly higher number, at 64 per cent, also believed that electronic monitoring assists in managing an individual's curfew, an increase of four per cent.

However, just two in five people said that they had a "very or fairly good understanding" of tagging in Northern Ireland, unchanged from the previous survey.

Since April 2009, electronic tagging has been available in a range of scenarios including as a condition of bail or as a requirement of a probation or combination order.

Security firm G4S provides electronic monitoring services in Northern Ireland.

Three questions relating to electronic monitoring have been included in the Northern Ireland Crime Survey since 2012.

In 2015, figures showed that almost one in every six people fitted with a tag in the north live in west Belfast.