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Inspection finds electronic monitoring failings are leaving victims and public at risk

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A new joint thematic inspection from HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has found that electronic monitoring failings across the justice system are leaving victims and the public at risk.

The report, “Electronic monitoring in practice: The police response to electronically monitored bail conditions and the use of electronic monitoring on community sentences and post-release licences”, examines two strands of inspection fieldwork: how police forces respond to breaches of electronically monitored bail conditions, and how electronic monitoring is used to manage people on community sentences and post-release licences.

Electronic monitoring is playing an increasingly central role across the criminal justice system, and, against a backdrop of significant prison overcrowding, it is increasingly relied upon as an alternative to custody.

This inspection found dedicated officers, staff and probation practitioners working hard to respond to this growing demand. However, both strands identified serious gaps in guidance, systems and information-sharing. National guidance for police forces on electronically monitored bail breaches was limited, and practices varied considerably between fieldwork forces. In the cases examined, alleged breaches did not consistently lead to structured consideration of risk to victims, witnesses or the wider public. Poor record-keeping also made it difficult for forces to understand the demand they face and the effectiveness of their response.

Within probation, regional electronic monitoring teams have improved oversight and governance, but practitioners must navigate a growing and complex range of technologies and systems. Monitoring data is often underused, and many of the challenges identified in a 2022 inspection remain evident today.

The report also raises concerns about fairness, finding that His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service have yet to develop mature arrangements for understanding whether the use and outcomes of electronic monitoring differ across protected characteristics.

Thirty recommendations have been made to the National Police Chiefs’ Council, chief constables, the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service, aimed at improving guidance, risk assessment, information-sharing, victim communication and data quality.

Martin Jones, HM Chief Inspector of Probation, said:

“Electronic monitoring has real potential to strengthen public protection and support rehabilitation, and we found committed practitioners making the most of the tools available to them. If used properly, these tools have the potential to be guard-rails, steering an offender away from the wrong choices. But technology on its own cannot deliver these benefits. We found that many of the weaknesses we identified in 2022 persist today, with monitoring data not always well understood or used to best effect, and basic questions about who is and isn’t being monitored still requiring significant manual effort to answer.”

“As the use of electronic monitoring grows under the Sentencing Act 2026, the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service must move quickly to simplify processes, improve data quality and ensure practitioners have the skills and confidence to use this technology effectively. The public, victims and those subject to monitoring deserve a system that is reliable, well governed and genuinely integrated into effective supervision.”

Michelle Skeer, HM Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, said:

“Officers and staff dealing with alleged electronically monitored bail breaches are managing a substantial and increasing workload. We found cases where decisions about the risk to victims and the public were not clearly recorded, and where forces simply did not have the information to understand the scale of demand they face.”

“Every breach notification can have consequences for victim safety and public protection. Forces need clearer guidance, better recording and stronger scrutiny arrangements, so they can consistently respond to breaches with the rigour the public rightly expects.”

ENDS

  1. The report is available at https://cjji.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/ on 29 October 2026 at 00:01.
  2. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales.      
  3. The inspection examined two distinct strands: the police response to breaches of electronically monitored bail conditions, and the use of electronic monitoring on community sentences and post-release licences by the Probation Service.
  4. Thirty recommendations are set out in the report, directed at the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for electronic monitoring, chief constables, the Ministry of Justice, and HM Prison and Probation Service. Unless otherwise stated, recommendations should be completed within 12 months. 
  5. For media enquiries, please contact Louise Cordell, Head of Communications 07523 805224 / media@hmiprobation.gov.uk