GPS Tagging and Proximity Notification Systems for Domestic Violence Prevention: Protecting Women, Saving Lives

Domestic violence remains one of the gravest public safety and public health challenges in the United Kingdom, with over 1.4 million incidents reported each year and two women killed every week by a current or former partner. Despite reforms such as the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and the introduction of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs), thousands of survivors remain unprotected due to inconsistent enforcement and limited monitoring.

Transforming Domestic Violence Prevention in the UK Through GPS Tagging and Proximity Notification Systems

This study explores the potential of GPS tagging and proximity notification systems as evidence-led solutions to prevent harm and save lives. Drawing on international models, including Spain’s COMETA programme, Portugal’s nationally coordinated framework (DGRSP, 2020), France’s bracelet anti-rapprochement, Switzerland’s integrated rollout, Australia’s pioneering GPS-based bail monitoring, and U.S. National Institute of Justice evaluations (NIJ, 2012), it highlights how these technologies can deter breaches, enable rapid police response, and provide survivors with greater autonomy and security.

Using insights from Queensland’s 2019 GPS trial, the paper proposes a framework for a nationally consistent UK model integrating offender monitoring, multi-agency safeguarding, real-time alerts, and rapid-response policing. By combining criminology-informed strategies, technological innovation, and policy reform, GPS-enabled solutions shift personal safety from reactive protection to proactive safeguarding.

Every preventable breach and avoidable death reflects a systemic failure, never the failure of women. The evidence from Spain, Portugal, France, and Australia is clear: when GPS monitoring is properly resourced and embedded within coordinated safeguarding systems, lives are saved. The UK now faces a choice, maintain outdated, fragmented protections or adopt a modern, evidence-driven framework that empowers survivors, strengthens offender accountability, and prevents future tragedies.