Prolific offenders and paedophiles are to be monitored by new satellite technology under three pilot schemes launched on Thursday.

It is the first time a European country has used satellites to monitor the movements of offenders.

Government Response: Home Office

David Blunkett, home secretary, 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.

"Thanks to this government's sentencing reforms, life now means life for the most heinous crimes. This technology will allow us to be equally tough with offenders released from prison using the latest technology to ensure they are sticking to the conditions of their licence and staying away from crime.

"However, our sentencing reforms were not just about being tougher on the most serious offenders. 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 services the tools they need to protect them. This will build on the success of electronic tagging in monitoring offenders.

"Today is the start of this use of the technology which is why we are beginning with the pilots in three probation areas with a relatively small number of offenders. This is the first time this technology has been used in offender management in Europe and we need to make sure it is robust and reliable if we are to avoid public confidence being damaged by going too fast.

"We will be carrying out close evaluation of the pilots from day one to ensure they are used to their full potential, and other areas can benefit from this new technology as soon as possible."

Party Response: Conservative

Dominic Grieve, shadow attorney general secretary, said: "We welcome this and point out that the Conservative Party suggested the use of satellite technology to track convicted paedophiles back in 2002. We are glad the government is belatedly getting its act together.

"However we are concerned about the motives for the introduction of this scheme. Whilst we support the tagging of certain prisoners, David Blunkett should not tag prisoners and let them out of jail earlier simply as a way of freeing up space in our already overcrowded prisons.

"We must remember that technology is never fool-proof and should not be used as a cheap alternative to prison. These pilots must be administered with the utmost caution; public safety must always remain our number one priority."

Party Response: Liberal Democrat

Mark Oaten MP Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman said: "This technology could be a real step forward both for public protection and for public confidence in community sentences.

"Satellite tracking opens up new possibilities for offenders to pay back the communities they have harmed while ensuring that their movements are closely monitored."

Stakeholder Response: ChildLine

Natasha Finlayson, ChildLine director of policy and communications, said: "ChildLine's priority is to ensure children are protected, and technology can be a strong potential ally in efforts to prevent paedophiles from re-offending. We look forward with great interest to seeing assessments of how successful the pilot scheme is.     

"However, measures to restrict and control the movements and behaviour of people considered to present a risk to children should be accompanied by properly resourced rehabilitation procedures, both in prison and outside, followed by careful risk assessments, which can then inform the actions of local multi-agency protection panels and the police.

"ChildLine hears from young people who are profoundly distressed and often terrified because someone who has abused them has been released from prison and returned to their community. Local arrangements to manage released sex offenders must not only aim to ensure the safety of all children in the area, but local families and young people who know the offender should be made aware that these arrangements are there to protect them, if not the details themselves."

Stakeholder Response: Association of Chief Police Officers

Liam Brigginshaw, ACPO's lead on tagging and assistant chief constable of Essex Police, said: "We are pleased that satellite tracking is now available to be thoroughly tested and evaluated. All police forces are aware of some individuals whose offending levels can inflict misery on local communities. Having greater levels of information and intelligence about the movements and behaviour of these individuals will be beneficial in preventing and solving crime and protecting the public."