Due to current overcrowding in British prisons, people on bail in Blackburn are to be given a choice of either being fitted with a normal leg tag monitor or receiving earlier release by taking part in an experiment which uses a robot dog to monitor their activities.
Some years ago, my girlfriend and I were sat in one of Blackburn’s town centre pubs having a beer. Then a lad came in wearing shorts, despite it being the middle of winter. Sylvia pointed out that along with a sheepish grin, he was wearing a tag on his leg. With my usual naivety, I thought he was wearing his watch on his leg. After all, this is Blackburn and some people like to do strange things in this town.
He walked around the bar making sure everyone could see what he was wearing. This didn’t go down well with some customers, they questioned whether or not he should be served. But having a bail hostel in our town centre, he wouldn’t be on his own.
Due to huge demands on Britain’s spiralling prison population, ways are being looked at to ease overcrowding and reduce this situation. One of these ways is to reduce prisoner’s sentences or let them out earlier than their initial release date. This is where today’s world of high technology comes in. Tags are very handy and have proved useful in the past. But they tend to draw attention to individuals wearing them, which sometimes isn’t such a good idea.
Many of us will have seen these nature programmes on TV which utilise ‘spy’ animals. The animatronic creatures featured have proved very effective infiltrating habitats and filming animals they are modelled upon. These TV programmes have not gone unnoticed by prison and probation services.
Due to adverse reaction from the public over wearing of tags, a suggestion has been put forward for something completely different and more pleasing to the eye for most people. What could be better than man’s best friend?
Perhaps a surveillance dog could be the answer. Those on bail would be fitted with a lead connected to an artificial spy dog and be able to frequent places away from their home. This spy dog would also keep a record of their ‘master’s’ movements. They could even take their animatronic companion into pubs which allow dogs. After all, this kind of dog won’t be peeing on any carpet or crapping on the doormat.
We are a nation of dog lovers, certainly more than we are of surveillance tags. But it could be considered most of us have our own form of tag anyway. The word ‘cellular’ even sounds like it belongs in a prison.