Eight people accused of serious crimes in Western Australia have cut off their ankle bracelets within the past 48 hours, prompting a large-scale police manhunt, WA Police have reported.

As of 3:30pm on Sunday, six of the alleged offenders have been caught, while two men remain at large. According to Simone Taplin, a representative from the WA Police Union, these individuals are considered "dangerous to the community."

Sergeant Taplin explained that six police officers are assigned to track each person who removes their device, resulting in 48 officers being diverted from their usual duties over the weekend. "That's a large amount of resources to look for someone who should be behind bars," she said.

Police identified Jeremy James Miller as one of the offenders who cut off his electronic bracelet in Midland before disappearing.

The ankle bracelets, equipped with GPS technology, are used by the Department of Justice to monitor people released on bail or under supervision orders after serving prison sentences.

The WA Police Union criticized the Department of Justice for shifting the responsibility of managing these offenders onto the police, citing a "massive increase in the electronic monitoring of offenders."

A recent report by the state's Inspector of Custodial Services found that WA prisoners have been subjected to "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment" due to the government's failure to maintain the prison system, which has become "almost functionally broken."

Simone Taplin added that the diversion of police resources to these manhunts prevents officers from attending to family and domestic violence cases and other serious crimes.

Sources

ABC Australia News