Foreign criminals to be tagged to stop them fleeing under new Govt plans

THOUSANDS of foreign criminals will be tagged to stop them fleeing, Priti Patel will announce today.

More than 900 have been deported this year but many stay to mount legal challenges.

The Home Secretary will make electronic ankle tags a condition of their release from jail.

She has ordered enough GPS kit for 4,500 offenders by the end of next year.

Britain can kick out foreign citizens who have been jailed, with 7,985 removed since January 2019.

But they can be released from a if they challenge the grounds of their deportation, sometimes at the last minute.

So far, more than 250 criminals have been issued with GPS devices.

Ms Patel said of the programme, which launched this year: “It will help to deter foreign criminals who callously seek to abuse the system, breach bail conditions, and commit further crimes, putting the lives and safety of the public at risk.”

It follows the launch of her New Plan for Immigration.

Measures include upping jail time from six months to five years for criminals who return to the UK in breach of deportation orders.