Government cancels GPS tracking system deal

The government has cancelled its contract with Steatite to develop a GPS tracking system for offenders after spending £21 million on the project.

The project began in 2014 and aimed to develop a new generation of satellite tags for offenders, after security firms G4S and Serco were investigated for overcharging. However, the programme was cancelled after the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) identified ‘significant problems’ with the project.

The tagging system was intended for the use of monitoring criminals when they are released to ensure they keep within curfew boundaries.

However, in a ministerial statement, Justice Minister Dominic Raab announced that developing bespoke tags had been ‘challenging’ and that it would be ‘more appropriate’ to buy off-the-shelf technology which is already available.

The MoJ also maintained that a new procurement process for proven tags already on the market will begin shortly, although the programme will be kept under review.

A spokesperson for the MoJ said: "We have spent approximately £21 million on the mobilisation of the programme to date. While the delay in the programme will lead to an increase in resource costs, we would expect the benefits of these costs to be realised.

"These costs include development and build of technology which is necessary to deliver the new service, and which is well-advanced."

Jo Stevens, Shadow Prisons Minister, was critical of the news. She argued: "Its beggars belief that the MoJ has had to abandon yet another procurement process. From the overcharging scandal to G4S and Serco still being paid to deliver tagging equipment after they had been barred from running the contract, this whole saga has been a shambles from start to finish."