Manitoba’s NDP government is bringing back ankle bracelets as a tool to monitor people accused of crime after a multi-year absence in the province.
The GPS monitoring devices will be used to supervise individuals who are released on bail, justice minister Matt Wiebe announced Wednesday.
The government didn’t immediately specify how it will assess which offenders will be outfitted with these devices, but the news release states the equipment would be used to prevent individuals from entering certain locations, such as retail stores.
“When the courts decide to release an individual on bail, electronic monitoring is a tool that can be used to ensure they are following the conditions of their release and prevent the type of chronic, repeat offending that is so frustrating and damaging to public safety,” Wiebe said in a news release.
The government describes electronic monitoring as another way the government is trying to combat retail crime and keep communities safe.
The NDP is reinstating the ankle bracelets the former PC government promised to bring back during a pre-election announcement last year.
Tories changed course
The Tories themselves scrapped the program in 2017 after a NDP-initiated review found in many instances the bracelets were either inaccurate or ineffective.
Former PC justice minister Kelvin Goertzen, however, changed course in 2023 and promised to reinstate the program, citing advances in technology while arguing perhaps too many individuals are being granted bail.
Within two months, the government was running an anti-crime ad campaign showcasing a person wearing an ankle bracelet, even though no offender in Manitoba had worn them since 2017.
The province is spending $2.9 million on these devices over a two-year period. The contract can be extended, the government said.
The news release states the electronic monitoring devices will use voice, audio and vibration commands, permitting law enforcement to communicate with offenders.
If necessary, loud alerts will ring out if the individual being monitored enters an area they’re not supposed to.
The software allows for 24-7 monitoring and can notify law enforcement of the wearer’s location at any time.
The Winnipeg Police Service said it supports the reinstatement of the ankle bracelet program.