Tags for teen bail bandits

London's teenage bail bandits are to be forced to wear electronic tags under tough new measures being announced today by Home Secretary David Blunkett.

New powers will target the capital's most prolific young offenders, with courts finally getting the right to order suspects between the ages of 12 and 16 to wear the tags so that their movements can be monitored while they are out on bail awaiting trial.

The move comes after concerted lobbying from police chiefs at Scotland Yard, who complained that up to 30 "untouchable" young muggers were operating in each borough. Senior officers pointed out that a hard core of persistent young offenders were acting as if they immune to the law.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Tim Godwin, who is in charge of the fight against street robbery, said that when courts released young suspects on bail it left them free to commit more crimes or terrify witnesses into refusing to give evidence. He complained that this was undermining police efforts to force down spiralling crime.

In one recent case, a young mugger was arrested for street robbery 11 times and on each occasion he was released to commit further offences.

Until now, tagging has been available to the courts only as part of a sentence for convicted juveniles. But police believe it is vital to extend the control - which would be backed by a night-time curfew - to unconvicted suspects who are released on bail.

"This is a measure the police have been asking for. We are trying to give them the tools to do the job properly and make sure that criminal justice system is backing up what they are doing," a Home Office source said.

In a separate move, Mr Blunkett will announce the creation of a new London task force on street crime.

Chaired by police minister John Denham, it will aim to improve the quality of cases brought by police and prosecutors, ensure courts across the capital are consistent, and try to spread good crime prevention practice in schools, where mobile phone thefts have driven up the crime figures.