NORTH Wales Police is the latest UK force to 'go live' with a new substantial system of tagging those convicted of burglary, robbery and theft.

As one of the measures to reduce neighbourhood crime, the Ministry of Justice has introduced the programme, whereby offenders released from prison on licence will be electronically tagged for up to 12 months.

The force will automatically report any instance of acquisitive crime 365 days a year, and and the system will highlight any individuals on tag that come within 150 meters of an offence location.

With more than half of those convicted of theft and burglary reoffending within a year and almost 80 per cent of cases resulting in no suspect being identified, this will be a vital extra source of intelligence to help us catch persistent offenders, North Wales Police said.

The intention is the tags will also act as a deterrent, protecting the public from further burglaries and thefts and forcing career criminals to choose a more honest way of making a living.

This initiative forms part of the force's Integrated Offender Management Strategy Programme, which sees police and the Probation Service working together to reduce neighbourhood crime.