Real-Time GPS Tagging Not Nationwide Yet — Victims Face Delays and ‘Postcode Lottery’

Thousands of domestic abuse victims across England will continue to wait for near real-time alerts when offenders enter protected zones because the upgraded GPS ankle-tag system is not yet rolled out nationwide.

At present, only probation teams in London, the West Midlands and the east of England can access a portal giving near real-time location updates from offenders' electronic ankle tags. Elsewhere, probation staff rely on Serco — the electronic monitoring contractor — sending email alerts when a tagged person breaches an exclusion or leaves a required area. Those emails are often read only during standard office hours, which can delay responses to potential risks.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) describes the upgraded platform as providing location updates within as little as five minutes and no more than 15 minutes. The MoJ has said it aims to roll the system out nationally by the end of the year, although one government source said a full nationwide rollout may not be complete until the end of 2026.

The issue has gained urgency after the first 700 prisoners — including domestic abusers, stalkers and violent offenders — were released early last week after serving about a third of their sentences. Around 4,500 offenders are expected to be released under the early-release programme by next June.

Concerns From Campaigners And Inspectors

Ben Cockburn, chair of Napo, the union for probation officers, warned victims may not understand they are subject to a "postcode lottery" in how closely offenders are monitored. "It has always been retrospective and always will be retrospective," he said, adding that the upgraded system is sometimes portrayed as true constant live access when that is not the case.

Martin Jones, the chief inspector of probation, recently reported that just under half of tags are not fitted promptly and that one in 10 offenders had waited up to five months for a tag to be fitted.

Dame Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner, said the tagging system "is clearly not equipped to keep victims of domestic abuse safe." She called on ministers to ensure victims are told immediately if an offender is released without a tag and given a clear timeline for when monitoring will begin. She also urged police to get timely access to breach information so they can act quickly to prevent harm.

Government Response

An MoJ spokesman said public protection is the department's priority and described the current programme as "the biggest expansion of tagging in British history." The spokesman said evidence shows tagging helps deter rule-breaking and that those who breach tag conditions risk swift recall to custody.

A government source said pilots are under way to give probation teams near real-time, 24/7 access to location data so officers can respond sooner to risks or breaches. The source confirmed the technology is live in London, the east of England and the West Midlands and reiterated rollout plans, noting the differing timelines described by various government statements.

Bottom line: While near real-time GPS monitoring exists in some regions, many victims remain reliant on an email-based system that can produce dangerous delays. The differing government timelines and problems with late tag fittings have left campaigners and inspectors warning of inconsistent protection across the country.