Reliance "to lose tagging contract"

Private security firm reported to be losing contract for electronic monitoring from April 2006

News, 14 September 2005

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The private security firm Reliance is to lose the contract for tagging offenders in Scotland, according to a newspaper report today, though according to the Executive the tendering process will not be completed until next month.

The Herald claims that Serco, the company running Scotland's only private prison at Kilmarnock, has been awarded preferred bidder status for the tender to operate tagging on teenage and adult offenders from next April until 2011.

Reliance was criticised for a series of prisoner escapes as it took up the £14 million electronic monitoring contract, awarded in 2002 and extended for 12 months earlier this year at an additional £8 million. However any decision to award the contract to Serco is also expected to be controversial, as a BBC programme led to three staff at Kilmarnock prison being removed from their duties earlier this year.

The Scottish Executive is expected to make an official announcement about the tendering decision in October.

Tagging of offenders is expected to become more common in the near future, as pilot schemes for monitoring accused on bail and offenders nearing the end of their prison sentence have been agreed by ministers.

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