Three "high-risk" parolee gang members in San Bernadino, California, have been fitted with GPS ankle bracelets to ensure they do not go wandering off into "unauthorised areas", Reuters reports.

State Department of Corrections speokeswoman Sarah Ludeman explained: "GPS tracking is just another tool in the bag; we will still use ground personnel to track gang members."

The trio of ne'er-do-wells will appear as moving dots on a map, and if they try and remove the bracelet or enter said unauthorized areas, "the device sends an alert to a base station monitored by law enforcement officials".

The University of California at Irvine will review the results of this pilot program and assess its effectiveness. ®