9,000 UK Offenders Without Electronic Tags as Prison Crisis Deepens

A critical report by the National Audit Office published today reveals that roughly 8,900 offenders in England and Wales required to wear electronic monitoring tags do not have them as of March 2026. The figure represents 24% of those mandated to be tagged and includes violent offenders and prisoners released from jail. The Ministry of Justice disputes the number, claiming only 5,450 are unmonitored. The discrepancy highlights systemic failures as the government plans to expand tagging to 22,000 individuals annually from 2027 to relieve prison capacity pressure.

What the NAO found about missing tags

The National Audit Office examined 28,700 people tagged in England and Wales as of March 2026 and found HM Prison and Probation Service was reviewing approximately 8,900 cases of individuals recorded as having an active monitoring order but no tag. The NAO called the current system “inefficient”. Some of the 8,900 cases involved people registered as tagged by mistake, but the watchdog said the real number slipping through the system could be “significant”. People become unmonitored for various reasons: system errors, refusal to wear a tag, delays in fitting, arrests where the tag is removed, or failure to tag when required.

Ministry of Justice pushes back on the figures

The Ministry of Justice disputed the NAO’s 8,900 figure, saying its own review puts unmonitored individuals at 5,450. The MoJ stated the NAO figure referred to the total number of cases being checked to determine if monitoring is needed, not confirmed unmonitored offenders. Despite the disagreement, the Ministry said public protection is its priority and it is investing £100m in electronic monitoring, including tagging offenders before release for the first time.

Contractor delays and staffing shortages hamper expansion

The NAO highlighted serious operational problems. Between August 2024 and July 2025, external contractor Serco failed to tag individuals on time and did not notify officials of potential breaches promptly. A backlog of visits to fit, check or remove tags peaked at 7,000 in October 2024 before falling below 400 by November 2024. In February 2026, although Serco met its 95% timeliness target for visits, it successfully fitted tags on only 62% of people visited within two attempts. An estimated shortfall of 2,200 probation staff as of March 2026 raised concerns about whether the system could scale up safely without robust improvements.

Rapid expansion poses public safety risk

The number of people electronically monitored has doubled to 28,700 over five years. Government plans estimate 22,000 tagged individuals annually from 2027 to combat prison capacity crisis by managing more offenders in the community. The NAO warned this rapid expansion will put public safety at risk without robust contingency plans. The watchdog called on the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service to strengthen oversight before scaling up further.

Final Thoughts

The NAO’s report exposes a system under severe strain with thousands of high-risk offenders potentially unmonitored. While the Ministry disputes the exact figure, both agree significant gaps exist. Expanding tagging without fixing underlying contractor performance and staffing shortages risks public safety.

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