The Ministry of Justice says it has identified thousands of offenders who were ordered to wear electronic monitoring devices but were not doing so by the end of March. According to the admission reported by the media, 5,450 offenders were not wearing the electronic tagging equipment at that point in time, despite having been subject to monitoring orders. This is described as the first time the Ministry has publicly acknowledged the scale of the shortfall. The reports indicate that the figures reflect the state of compliance with electronic monitoring requirements at the end of March. The issue is presented as a “tagging scandal,” but the underlying information from the source is that an operational gap exists between the orders issued by the justice system and the number of devices actually worn by those offenders at the relevant deadline. The reports do not provide additional details on why devices were not fitted or worn, nor do they specify whether the monitoring orders are being enforced through alternative arrangements. The Ministry’s acknowledgment focuses on the number of offenders affected and the timing of the non-compliance.