New electronic monitoring devices could be used to detect alcohol use as well as monitor the movements of criminals, the Attorney-General said yesterday.

Kathy Lynn Simmons told the Senate: “The overall design and data are being reviewed to advance further recommendations on the programme.

“In addition, a request for proposal will be released next month for a new contractual agreement.”

She added that the adoption of tagging devices that could detect levels of alcohol in the sweat, home detention devices or units designed for domestic violence situations were all options being considered.

The EMD programme allows people on parole or on bail to be monitored 24 hours a day.

Ms Simmons said 26 monitoring devices were in use and the programme was budgeted at a cost of $250,000 a year.

She added: “The devices do not replace traditional supervision and surveillance regimes but are an added resource to track and monitor the offenders more closely.”

Ms Simmons said: “Since inception, this programme has been used to interrupt some gang activity with clients, provide alibis for persons wrongfully accused of misbehaviour, pinpoint individuals involved in illegal activity and aid in monitoring curfews, to name a few benefits.”

She told the Senate that Court Services was recently able to track a “prolific repeat offender” who committed another crime and was brought before the court the same afternoon.

She added that an electronic tag made sure a criminal was “excluded” from an area where he used to sell drugs.

Ms Simmons said: “As with most jurisdictions, we have been faced with isolated incidents of tampering by some offenders who attempt to outsmart the system.

“We can say assuredly that infractions are dealt with in a timely manner and these individuals receive their just rewards.”