Cleveland PCC's concern over Serco electronic-tagging contract

BBC News

09-06-2025

A police and crime commissioner (PCC) has written to the government to raise concerns around the electronic tagging of criminals. Cleveland PCC Matt Storey described revelations in a Channel 4 documentary - which featured an undercover journalist getting work to fit tags in Teesside with private contractor Serco - as "troubling".The programme revealed a backlog of visits to offenders, with high-risk and violent criminals left unmonitored for up to two months.Serco's Antony King said the company's performance continued to improve.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) confirmed receipt of Mr Storey's letter to secretary of state Shabana Mahmood, although it has not formally responded.Mr Storey criticised private sector contract awards for essential public services where "profit over the quality of service" was prioritised. He said: "Time and again we see high-value contracts awarded to low-cost bidders with histories of underperformance, ultimately placing further strain on the very communities these services are meant to protect."The MoJ told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the footage was filmed last year and claimed the situation had improved.A spokeswoman for the department said: "While the backlog of outstanding visits has been significantly reduced, Serco's overall performance remains below acceptable levels."We continue to hold them to account for that and will not hesitate to impose further financial penalties where necessary."Mr King, managing director of citizen services at Serco, said: "We are proud of the challenging work our people do, working with multiple partners across the criminal justice system in delivering an essential and critical public safety service, often with complex and ever increasing requirements. "Our performance continues to improve, which the MoJ recognise, and we continue to monitor record numbers of people in the community supporting our colleagues in probation and the Home Office."
Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.