A former Bermuda Police Service detective this morning told a joint select committee on crime and violence that GPS ankle monitoring bracelets could help cut Bermuda its crime rate.John Tartaglia, vice president of Alliance Alarms, told the committee he had met with Government in June to discuss bringing GPS and voice recognition monitoring bracelets to the Island for paroled criminals, but has heard nothing since.Former Attorney General Kim Wilson appeared to be a fan of the technology, which monitors the whereabouts of an individual 24/7 and alerts police or parole officers when they enter a restricted area, break a court imposed curfew or fire guns.Mr Tartaglia’s company proposed working with international security solutions provider, G4S, to bring the technology to the Island.He estimated it would cost $700,000 a year for Government to hire Alliance Alarms. The company would provide 100 bracelets and manage the monitoring of parolees, or those on bail awaiting trial. The company would also set up the system within the Bermuda Police Service.He said: “The technology would effectively and more safely reduce the prison population of low and middle risk criminals. It would mean a significant reduction in prison costs, which were approximately $21 million last year.“It would help take a big bite out of Bermuda’s gang culture as well because we would be able to monitor where they go. The courts could designate certain crime hot spots as out of bounds and the minute they step into those areas we would know and have an immediate response.”Mr Tartagila said he had not heard from Government since his meeting, but added that this could be because they had chosen another company.