Pager helps Kent police

Kent Probation Services has put a paging system on trial, to keep track of convicted criminals while they are on probation. The system, known as Voicetrack, has already been used successfully in 19 states in the US. The project, funded by the Home Office, is expected to be piloted for six months, but will only be live for three.

Offenders are issued with a BT pager and can be called either at random or pre-set times, and are allowed 10 minutes to answer from one of three authorised numbers.

Joan Farrell, director of the Voicetrack project, said: "The system can take up to five numbers but we have decided to use only three, that can be home, work, and one other, but only these designated numbers are acceptable. If the offender does not ring in, the probation officer is contacted to find out why the offender has not called."

Up to 50 offenders, from petty to serious criminals, are expected to take advantage of the system, which is designed to instil a 'sense of responsibility' in recently released convicts. Farrell said: "It makes them aware of what is going on around them, when they have an appointment to get to or a drugs rehabilitation clinic to attend. It focuses them on what they are doing and we know instantly what is going on."