4 Jun 2013

Alcohol detector bracelets on cards

4:27 pm on 4 June 2013

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says high-risk offenders will be the target of alcohol detector bracelets proposed by the Government.

Anne Tolley.

Anne Tolley. Photo: NATIONAL PARTY

The bracelets can detect alcohol through the skin and this data is sent to a monitoring system. They will be imposed as part of a court decision.

Mrs Tolley said on Tuesday the technology could be introduced in 2014 after the Cabinet approves it and changes are made to legislation.

The minister said high-risk offenders would be the first to be targeted and the bracelets could then be rolled out on a wider basis when technology becomes cheaper.

Mrs Tolley said the Department of Corrections would do the monitoring, as it does with GPS trackers.