A convicted killer was allowed to roam free for TWO MONTHS without an ankle monitor because our government can’t even competently outsource basic criminal surveillance.
At a Glance
- Serco’s performance on electronic tagging since taking over the Ministry of Justice contract in 2023 has been deemed “unacceptable” with dangerous offenders left unmonitored
- Channel 4’s Dispatches uncovered that convicted killer John Potter was left untagged for two months after prison release
- In another incident, Serco staff went to the wrong house when attempting to tag a convicted pedophile
- Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has threatened financial penalties against Serco for their failures
- The government is demanding immediate action to address the backlog of untagged offenders
Government Incompetence Leaves Dangerous Criminals Unmonitored
Once again, the revolving door between government and private contractors has resulted in a public safety nightmare. Serco, the company awarded the Ministry of Justice’s electronic tagging contract in October 2023, has been failing spectacularly at the basic task of monitoring criminals released from prison. And what happens when these private companies fail? Nothing – they get more contracts, more chances, and more of your tax dollars while dangerous offenders wander freely through your neighborhoods without supervision. The latest investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches has exposed just how broken this system truly is.
The most egregious case involves convicted killer John Potter who was released from prison but then left completely untagged for two full months. Let that sink in. A murderer, walking among the public, with absolutely no monitoring whatsoever. In another case, Serco employees showed up at the wrong house when attempting to fit an electronic tag on a convicted pedophile. These aren’t just minor clerical errors – these are catastrophic failures that put every law-abiding citizen at risk.
Political Finger-Pointing While Public Safety Suffers
As is typical in these scenarios, politicians are busy blaming each other rather than fixing the actual problem. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick didn’t hold back, pointing out that “Under the Justice Secretary’s leadership, her department let out dozens of dangerous prisoners by mistake last year.” With 1,700 prisoners in England and Wales released early last September to address overcrowding, this failure to monitor them properly compounds an already dangerous situation. Meanwhile, the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is desperately trying to deflect blame onto the previous administration.
“Serco’s performance on tagging offenders released from prison is ‘still not good enough'” – Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood
This is the classic government two-step: first release dangerous criminals early, then fail to monitor them properly. It’s almost as if they want to maximize the danger to the public. Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde correctly labeled the situation a “total disgrace” and a systemic problem. But strong words won’t put ankle monitors on criminals or protect communities from potentially dangerous reoffenders who know they’re not being watched.
A History of Failure and Fraud
This isn’t even Serco’s first rodeo with tagging contracts and controversy. Back in 2013, both Serco and G4S were forced to hand over their electronic tagging contracts due to fraud allegations. The Serious Fraud Office conducted a criminal investigation into claims that offenders were falsely recorded as being under tagging restrictions. Fast forward a decade and here we are again with the same company, different scandal. The Ministry of Justice’s response is always the same – stern words, threats of penalties, but ultimately no meaningful change.
“The public need to have confidence in our criminal justice system for it to work. And how on earth can we expect people to have that confidence when rookie errors like this are being made left, right and centre?” – Josh Babarinde
Serco’s chief executive, Anthony Kirby, has of course trotted out the standard excuse playbook, claiming they “inherited a significant backlog of untagged prisoners” and faced “record numbers of people being monitored in the community.” But that’s precisely what they bid for and were paid to handle. If they couldn’t manage the contract, they shouldn’t have taken it. Instead, they took the money and failed to deliver the service, putting public safety at risk. And what’s the consequence? Probably another government contract down the road.
Demand Better Protection for Communities
What’s truly baffling is that electronic monitoring is one of the most basic tools we have for keeping tabs on criminals who should rightfully still be behind bars. If the government insists on early release schemes to manage prison overcrowding, the absolute minimum they should ensure is that these individuals are properly monitored. Instead, we have a system where convicted killers and pedophiles can slip through the cracks for months at a time. This isn’t just incompetence – it’s a dereliction of the government’s most fundamental duty to protect its citizens.
The Ministry of Justice claims that “Tagging is an important and effective way to monitor and punish offenders.” Perhaps they should add “when it actually happens” to that statement. Until the government stops outsourcing critical public safety functions to companies with histories of failure and fraud, and starts holding them genuinely accountable, these dangerous lapses will continue. And it’s the public who will pay the price for this incompetence – potentially with their lives.
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