Criminals with a booze problem could be be given tags that detect when they drink.
Under proposed plans set to be announced today, courts could impose order and tags on alcohol-related offenders to stop them hitting the bottle.
The tag would alert police to their drinking and give them the right to haul the offender back to court to stand before a judge.
The so-called 'sobriety tag' plans are expected to be unveiled today by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland in his speech to the Tory Party Conference.
Mr Buckland will tell the party faithful: “Prison is a hugely important tool to tackle crime but it is not the only one.
“We must make use of smart technologies to prevent offenders from becoming re-offenders.
“Many criminals who carry out anti-social behaviour have problems with alcohol.
“Get a grip on this, and we can massively reduce crime", reports the Sun .
The tags will be used on those arrested or convicted for an array of offences related to repeat-drinking, including drink-driving, domestic violence and child abuse.
The tags will operate on three sensors - one that samples skin perspiration every 30 minutes, and two anti-circumvention detector sensors that confirm proximity to the skin and skin temperature.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson already piloted the tags while Mayor of London.
With a 92% compliance rate, the scheme was deemed a success - but discontinued and never rolled out nationwide.
