New contracts for the electronic monitoring of offenders were awarded by the Home Office.
The new contracts have been awarded to Securicor Justice Services, and Premier Monitoring Services Ltd. They become operational from April 2005, and cover the whole of England and Wales in five contract areas. The length of contracts are for five years, with a possible extension of up to two further years.
The new contracts represent a saving for the Home Office of about 35pc on current volumes and will help the Government achieve the 2008 goal of doubling capacity for the electronic monitoring of offenders, it is claimed.
What they say
Home Office Minister, Paul Goggins said: "Since electronic monitoring was extended to the whole of England and Wales in 1999, more than 175,000 offenders have been electronically monitored either as a sentence or on release from prison. We are committed to using new technology where it can provide greater protection to the public and help offenders resettle to lead law-abiding lives. The new contracts represent a success for the Home Office and the suppliers and we will continue to invest in this effective method of monitoring offenders."
Both suppliers already have experience in providing monitoring services and the new contracts represent good value for money for the Home Office, the Government says.
