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Representation of an electronic offender monitoring tag with the strap severed.

Police management of breach notifications of electronically monitored court bail

Representation of an electronic offender monitoring tag with the strap severed.

The research project examined the management of breach notifications for electronically monitored (EM) bail from the point at which they were received by the police until their conclusion.

The police receive a high number of notifications that require significant resources to manage and a triage system to prioritise cases which is open to interpretation, error and inconsistency. The research provides robust and detailed evidence about how breaches are currently managed by the police. It identifies a significant gap between the number of notifications received and the number of defendants arrested and provides explanations for its existence. It makes recommendations for changes to policy and practice to bring about more effective and efficient management of EM bail breaches to deliver appropriate outcomes, improved compliance and higher levels of trust and confidence of victims’, the courts and wider public in EM and bail.

The project was completed in partnership with the National Police Chief’s Council leads for EM and bail and two police forces. It began in Autumn 2025 and was completed in November 2026.

The project was led by Professor Anthea Hucklesby. She can be contacted on a.hucklesby@bham.ac.uk