E-GOVERNMENT
UK government tests electronic tagging
22-09-2003
by
The UK government is testing an electronic tagging system for paedophiles, and the company supplying the system hopes to talk to the Irish government next month.
UK company Sky Guardian said that it hopes to hold talks with the Irish government in October about introducing the system, which can be used to track the movements of child sex offenders using electronic tags and GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.
However, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice told ElectricNews.net that "There are no plans to implement a system of electronically tagging paedophiles at present nor has any meeting been arranged with [Sky Guardian]."
The system, conceived by Sky Guardian, was developed by a US company called Sentinel. According to Sky Guardian managing director Clive Crosby, the technology for the tracking system combines satellite and GSM technology. A GPS device, attached to the ankle, connects wirelessly with a special mobile phone that the wearer must carry at all times. If the phone, which is linked to a call centre operated by trained paedophile experts, becomes separated from the tagging device, an alarm is triggered. Sky Guardian claims the system can pinpoint the location of the wearer to within three metres.
A British MP and a number of prisoners have volunteered to test the system, which will be unveiled at this month's Labour party conference in the UK. Sky Guardian said it hopes to continue its talks with the UK government and to launch a wider trial involving between 100 and 500 child sex offenders. Crosby said that number could be increased from 500 to 5,000 in two months.
Earlier this year, Ireland's Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell, said he was monitoring developments in the electronic tagging of prisoners. However, McDowell noted that he had concerns about problems with regard to the use of GPS technology for electronic tagging. Responding to a parliamentary question in March, McDowell said he had been advised of "problems of battery size and weight, signal interference, costs and location complexities" in relation to GPS systems.
Sky Guardian said it hopes to allay any concerns the Irish government has about using such a system. "GPS works anywhere," said Crosby. "The system is designed to store up [location] information when it goes dead and then you can download that information." In relation to size, Crosby said that GPS devices used to be the size of a football but now are the size of a mobile phone.
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