The Ministry of Justice has announced that a World Cup drinking ban will be imposed on 7,300 criminals through hi-tech ankle tags. Some 5,000 offenders freed from prison or serving community sentences already had the alcohol-monitoring tags attached when the tournament began, with a further 2,300 expected to receive them during the event.
How the Tags Work
The tags examine a wearer's perspiration 24 hours a day and alert probation officers if they consume alcohol. The devices can differentiate between an offender backing their team from a pub or fan zone and actually drinking themselves.
Official Statements
Prisons, probation and reducing reoffending minister Lord James Timpson said: "Major sporting events should be a time for the country to come together and enjoy the game, not for alcohol-fuelled violence and disorder to ruin the occasion. Having this tech fixed around the ankle is the wake-up call to offenders and leaves them with the sobering thought that one slip-up could send them to jail."
Effectiveness of the Technology
The Ministry of Justice says that since the technology was introduced in 2020, offenders prohibited from consuming alcohol have remained sober for 97% of the days they have been tagged.
David Sidwick and Joy Allen, joint leads on addictions and substance misuse at the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, stated: "The World Cup unites the nation and we want to see football fans who usually support rival clubs celebrating together – including with a drink if that is their choice. However, alcohol fuels crime and anti-social behaviour, and evidence shows violence spikes around major sports events."
They added: "Police and crime commissioners and deputy mayors back the use of alcohol tags to monitor offenders and incentivise them to stay away from crime as part of a programme of measures to rehabilitate them and reduce reoffending, keeping communities safe from alcohol-related harm."
If a tagged offender does consume alcohol, their probation officer can order their return to court or prison.
