Tagging planned for frail and wandering Brits

In Britain people with Alzheimer’s Disease could find themselves fitted with transponders and monitored through satellite tracking if a British Government Minister has his way.

Science Minister Malcolm Wicks told a committee hearing that the frail and elderly – especially those with Alzheimer’s – could have the transponders attached so that relatives could follow their movements.

The Minister said that “if we are able to have traffic monitoring, shouldn’t we be able to do people monitoring where there are concerns? It will have to be sensitive as we need to avoid a Big Brother approach but there could be useful applications for the welfare state”.

Minister Wicks said that experts had advised that a tracking scheme was feasible but the suggestion has created a public row because British criminals are already frequently tagged with ankle or wrist attachments so police can follow their movements.