Manitoba finally slapping ankle bracelets on worst car thieves

The Manitoba government is making good on a pledge it made a year ago to track auto thieves with GPS technology, with braceletsbeing placed on20 of the most high-risk people.

Justice officials willuse the electronic ankle bracelets in an effort to rehabilitatethe province'sreputation as the car theft capital of Canada.

Thieves considered the highest risk to reoffend will have to wear the high-tech bracelets as a condition of their release from jail, Justice Minister Dave Chomiak said at a news conference Tuesday.

The one-year project, first announced almost a year ago,is part of the WinnipegAutoTheft Suppression Strategy, and is peggedat a cost of $300,000.

Chomiak told reporters Manitoba has been working with Nova Scotia to emulate its anklet supervision program.

"No single part of the strategyis a panacea,"he said.

"Succeeding in the battle against auto theft means tackling it on many different levels."

Not a form of punishment

Agovernment spokeswoman says the plan's implementation was delayedfromitsinitial fall start date due to changes in Nova Scotia'sGPS monitoring program.

Justice officials stress the new tool is not a form of punishment, but a way of supporting youth and deterring them from reoffending.

Police say their anti-theft strategy is working.

There has been a 48.6 per cent reduction in attempted thefts and a 45.8 per cent reduction in actual thefts from Jan. 1, 2008, to March 31, 2008, compared to the same period last year, police said.