HAMPSHIRE will be part of a pilot project to use satellites to track paedophiles and other offenders.

Home Secretary David Blunkett today launched his "prison without bars", a hi-tech scheme which cancan pinpoint the position of criminals to within six and a half feet.

Up to 120 offenders at a time will be fitted with satellite tags. The technology will be used for sex offenders, domestic violence offenders and prolific offenders, including juveniles.

Ministers have put aside £3m to cover the cost of the 12-month project, which is predicted to cost an average of £68 a day per offender.

It uses Global Positioning System satellites, backed up by mobile phone technology in some cases, to monitor offenders' movements.

The system will sound an alarm if, for example, a tagged paedophile enters areas from which he or she has been banned, such as a playground or school, allowing their exact position to be tracked and police alerted.

It could also provide evidence that a tagged burglar was near the scene of another offence which he or she is suspected of committing.

The pilot programme - due to operate in Manchester and the West Midlands in addition to Hampshire - is part of the Home Office's five-year crimebusting plan.

Mr Blunkett said: "The government is determined to be at the cutting edge of technology in the drive to make our communities safer and ensure more effective sentencing of offenders."

It would help ensure offenders were "sticking to the conditions of their licence and staying away from crime", he said.

"Our sentencing reforms were not just about being tougher on the most serious offenders, " Mr Blunkett added.

"This technology will allow us to develop and promote the tough community sentences which are vital if we are to prevent re-offending and give non-violent offenders a chance to serve an effective sentence in the community.

"The public have to be confident that this 'prison without bars' works and that it gives the police and probation servicesthe tools they need to protect them."

This is the first time the technology has been used in offender management in Europe.

"We need to make sure it is robust and reliable if we are to avoid public confidence being damaged by going too fast," said Mr Blunkett.

Offenders will be tracked following their release from jail or as part of a new community penalty - the exclusion order - which courts can impose to prevent an offender going to specific locations.

It will also be used as part of existing Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programmes for persistent juvenile offenders.

Satellite tags will be available for up to 40 offenders in each of the three pilot areas at any one time.

Assistant general secretary of probation union Napo, Harry Fletcher, said: "This will prove to be a very expensive resource and must be limited to those offenders that pose the highest risk of harm to the public.

"It's also critical that it's not used as a substitute for treatment, supervision and surveillance."