Electronic Monitoring Services (EMS) continue to operate during Covid-19.
Please find below an update in relation to the electronic monitoring of suspects/offenders during the Covid-19 outbreak.
EMS is putting in place contingency plans to keep the service running in spite of any staff shortages that may occur.
The following alteration to the EM Service has been implemented to protect staff health and safety and maintain frontline service delivery with approval of Probation Gold:
- Where EMS visit an address, e.g. to fit a tag or in response to an equipment tamper and identify that a subject, or anyone else living at the property has Covid-19/the symptoms/is self-isolating, the visit will be suspended.
Where this happens, Responsible Officers and Notifying Agencies will be informed. The notification will include information about whether the subject is being actively monitored – i.e. whether they have a tag fitted or not.
- After 7 days a call is made to the subject to re-assess the position. If the situation remains the same, then the process is repeated and another 7 day suspension is put in place.
- If the situation improves and the subject/household is no longer isolating then visits will resume including to fit a tag if that is required.
- There has been no relaxation in recall policy and Responsible Officers are still required to make decisions about breach and recall on the information available to them.
- For electronically monitored curfew only community sentences (formerly Single Requirement Orders), where EMS is the Responsible Officer breach proceedings are commenced if the subject is still reporting as self-isolating/ill after 14 days and not being monitored.
- For case-specific queries EMS are asking for the following email addresses to be used to help manage the workflow:
- HDC Enquiries – [email protected]
- Orders General Enquiries – [email protected]
- Enforcement Team [email protected]
- Monitoring Centre – [email protected]
- Location Monitoring/GPS Enquiries [email protected]
- Please email [email protected] if you have any general enquiries or would like to receive regular updates on numbers of cases where visits are suspended.