UK police force to track some dementia patients with GPS; critics blast idea as “barbaric”

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This undated photo released by Chichester District Council shows Gill Stoneham, who has dementia, and her husband Bernard in Chichester, England. British police force Sussex police in Southeast England is hoping to save time and money by giving a few dementia patients GPS tracking devices, a move condemned by some campaigners as “barbaric.” The device can be worn around the neck or attached to a keychain and sends the person’s GPS location to a website every four minutes which can be accessed by the patient’s family. The National Pensioners Convention on Wednesday May 1, 2013, slammed the idea as inhumane, arguing patients could be stigmatized and made to feel like criminals. (AP Photo/Peter Langdown)

LONDON – A British police force is hoping to save time and money by giving a few dementia patients GPS tracking devices, a move condemned by some campaigners as “barbaric.”

Last week, Sussex police announced a plan to buy GPS devices for 15 people with dementia who are at high risk of getting lost.

The device can be worn around the neck or attached to a keychain. It sends the person’s GPS location to a website every four minutes.

Chief Inspector Tanya Jones described it as a “cost-effective” strategy, which would save police time and money by not having to frequently search for lost patients.

The National Pensioners Convention on Wednesday slammed the idea as inhumane and said patients could be stigmatized and made to feel like criminals.

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