NEW alco-tags - which can monitor the booze intake of offenders - are proving effective in the battle against domestic violence.

Trials are being conducted across East Lancashire for SCRAM - Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor - to keep tracks on problem drinkers.

Like the ankle tags which work to keep criminals or suspects under effective house arrest, the SCRAM devices offer live updates to operators.

In an annual report for the Pennine Lancashire Community Safety, it has been stated: “The devices fit against an individual’s skin and can accurately monitor alcohol consumption continually, giving an early warning of consumption that can be responded to quickly by support services.

“The programme has been particularly successful with violent offenders where alcohol is a catalyst, including domestic abuse perpetrators.”

AlphaBioLabs, based in Warrington, which has the sole distribution rights for the technology, is now looking to expand their services into Ireland.

Rachel Davenport, the company’s commercial director, said: “It’s a non-invasive method of testing which is ideal for those who dread blood tests, injections and needles.

“Samples are taken every half hour around the clock, seven days a week. It’s the most accurate and comprehensive method of measuring alcohol on the market.

“Unlike breathalysers, which provide a snapshot measurement, and hair strand analysis, which gives an historic overview over several months, SCRAM allows real-time, continuous monitoring.”

First introduced in Blackburn with Darwen, the programme was rolled out to the rest of East Lancashire after Lancashire’s police and crime commissioner, Clive Grunshaw, allocated £28,000 from his reducing reoffending fund.

Mr Grunshaw said: “Policing alone cannot prevent people reoffending and supporting initiatives which help them make Lancashire a safer place can only be a good thing.”

Cllr Shaukat Hussain, prevention services executive member, added: “The continuous monitoring provides local authorities, courts and child protection agencies with the tools to know if people whose actions have been driven by their alcohol consumption are committed to changing behaviours definitively.

“This is a really good tool that is very much helping those who volunteer to use the equipment to ensure they continue to make positive changes.”