Lie detectors to assess if paedophiles will reoffend

Paedophiles and other sex attackers face compulsory American-style lie detector tests before and after being freed from prison, David Blunkett said yesterday.

Paedophiles and other sex attackers face compulsory American-style lie detector tests before and after being freed from prison, David Blunkett said yesterday.

Police and probation officers could block early release or order them back to jail if the tests suggest they are liable to reoffend.

The Home Secretary has also approved plans for sex offenders to be tagged and monitored by satellite-tracking devices.

Making the pledges during an election campaign visit to Sheffield, he said he was keen to use new technology as "a way of ensuring we keep tabs on people and in a way we can have a prison without bars".

Although polygraph machines are routinely used in the United States, they are regarded as too unreliable for British court proceedings.

Small pilot schemes in Northumbria, the West Midlands and Sussex have been judged a success and will be extended to 12 other areas over the next two years. It is likely to be extended across the country in 2006.

Trials of the satellite-tracking scheme will begin shortly, with Ministers already committed to the idea in principle.

Using global positioning equipment, the location of offenders can be pinpointed to within 10ft. It could mean alarms being activated if a paedophile on probation went too close to a school.

In addition, tagging could be used for other criminals, such as violent men who try to track down partners they have abused.

Mr Blunkett said yesterday that he also wanted to beef up a new database which allows officers to share information on violent and sex offenders.

He said of the lie detector scheme: "We are all a bit sceptical because we've all been brought up with the spy films and the way in which the KGB are allegedly able to train people to avoid them. "But we are talking about really modern technology in the 21st century and we are testing it.

"It won't only just pick up whether a person is lying, it will be a major deterrent to people actually telling an untruth when they are under supervision and when it is necessary to find out what they've been up to."

Mr Blunkett said that satellite tracking would mean "a more secure system and that people can rest more securely in their beds".

The shadow Home Secretary, David Davis, said that the measures would be "an assistance" but he warned that technology was fallible.

He said: "We should not tag prisoners and let them out of jail earlier simply to free up space in our overcrowded prisons.

"This decision by the Home Secretary is a last-minute response from a man who has run out of ideas and whose prisons are at crisis point. What kind of message does this send out to criminals, as well as the victims of crime?"

Mark Oaten, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: "We support the use of tagging and satellite tracking as a sensible use of technology which will reassure the public.

"The use of lie detectors is more problematic - the Liberal Democrats will need further convincing that the technology is safe and reliable."