UK to ban offenders from drinking to cut alcohol-fuelled crimes

London, Nov 18 (IANS) In an effort to curb alcohol-fuelled crimes, serious and prolific offenders in the UK will be tagged with devices which monitor alcohol levels in sweat if their probation officer thinks they will be more likely to re-offend when drinking, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said Wednesday.

The tag will help probation officers keep a closer eye on offenders' behaviour and support them to turn their backs on crime, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement.

It will also provide offenders with the incentive to break bad habits as breaching the ban could see them back in prison, said the MoJ.

Alcohol plays a part in 39 per cent of all violent crime in the UK and roughly 20 perc ent of offenders supervised by the Probation Service are classed as having an alcohol problem, according to the Ministry.

Around 12,000 offenders will wear such a tag over the next three years, it added.

Earlier this year, the UK government launched another scheme using GPS tags to track prolific robbers, thieves and burglars.

Around 10,000 offenders are expected to be tagged over the next three years to help police catch them if they re-offend.