TEENAGE offenders in Bolton could be tagged electronically from today as part of a new Home Office pilot scheme.
The town's youth court has been given the powers to tag mugging suspects as young as 12 while they are on bail.
The Greater Manchester area which includes Bolton is one of six street crime hot-spots chosen to take part in the trial. The scheme is expected to go nationwide in June if it is successful.
It is not the first time tagging has been used in Bolton in the fight against crime.
In 1995, the town took part in Greater Manchester trials of tagging convicted criminals.
However, the tags were rarely used and it was branded a flop.
The latest proposed tagging system comprises a small radio transmitter, known as a Personal Identification Device (PID), which is about the size of a diver's watch.
This will be attached to the offender's ankle and will send a signal to a monitoring unit when the offender is due to be at home under curfew.
If the teenager is not in at the right time, the police will be alerted.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article