Prolific thief given tag that goes off if he goes near shops

A prolific shoplifter will become the first in the region to be fitted with an ankle tag that raises an alarm if he goes near shops he is banned from.

Callan Bennett, 38, from Liverpool, will be fitted with the device after being convicted of 27 counts of shoplifting, Merseyside Police said.

He was jailed for 18 weeks earlier this month, and given a criminal behaviour order (CBO) that includes wearing the tag.

Ch Supt Natalie Perischine said the electronic device "allows police to identify potential non-compliance, with exclusion zone breach alerts, at an earlier stage than would otherwise have been possible".

The scheme was first piloted by Sussex Police, and was said to have resulted in a significant reduction in offending by the first two people the tags were fitted to.

The Buddi tag is specifically used for prolific offenders.

Merseyside Police Supt Rufus Binks said: "It's about recognising when the offending as taken place. It also allows us to concentrate on those high harming individuals.

"They must have committed 20 offences in the last six months to be issued with a GPS tag going forward.

"I would like to see it rolled out widely and I see no reason, subject to support of the courts, why this can't be rolled out further.

"It's a physical reminder that they wear with them, for a maximum of six months, that they are being monitored and they'll be under no illusion they are being monitored because of the physical presence of the tag."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.