Thousands of drunken yobs and drink drivers are to be ordered to wear electronic ankle tags in a crackdown on booze culture in London.
The capital is to become the first city in the UK to adopt a scheme of “sobriety” tags that monitor the sweat of offenders and can send them to jail if they drink.
A London-wide £850,000 project is to be rolled out this year after the success of pilots in four south London boroughs.
The 18-month trial involved 113 offenders guilty of offences ranging from drink driving to assault and found 92% stayed sober for up to four months.
The majority of the electronic tags, which contain sensors that monitor alcohol in perspiration, were handed out for 75 days.
Most offenders were white males in their thirties and the majority were convicted of violence or drink driving related offences.
Tagged offenders told researchers that the enforced period of abstinence from drinking gave them time to reflect on their alcohol consumption and its impact on offending behaviour, relationships and work, and an opportunity to break the cycle of routine drinking. The gadgets send an alarm to probation officers if they detect alcohol and anyone in breach can be jailed if they get two or more warnings.
A study of the pilot has recommended that in future the ankle tags could be used to monitor domestic violence offenders or alcoholics on treatment programmes.
Mayor Boris Johnson said: “This innovative technology is driving down re-offending and proving rehabilitation does not have to mean prison.”
Justice Secretary Michael Gove added: “By giving courts this new power and making the latest technology available, we are helping offenders understand the detrimental impact drinking alcohol can have on their behaviour”.