Almost 30 criminals off the radar after bail company collapses

Police are scrambling to track down several accused criminals roaming unmonitored after a private company that used GPS devices to track people on bail shut down without warning.

BailSafe Australia collapsed more than a week ago without informing the government or police, leaving eight people in Victoria and 20 in NSW unmonitored.

The company used GPS tracking devices to monitor alleged offenders' real-time location, enforce curfews, or notify police of any breaches.

READ MORE: How Trump arrived at his idea to 'take over' the Gaza Strip

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan called the private bail firm's actions "utterly unacceptable" and said police and the Office of Public Prosecutions were working to identify the criminals involved.

"Victoria Police are going through individual assessments and also going through a process to go back before the courts to have bail revoked for these matters," she said.

Shadow attorney-general Michael O'Brien labelled the situation a "bail fail" for the government.

"Labor has made an absolute mess of Victoria's bail, whether it's bail laws or bail monitoring," he said.

State Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said she was unaware private monitoring companies existed and now wants them banned. 

"We're going to stop private companies from offering this kind of service for bail compliance. It is not appropriate, it will not be continued," she said.

"Victoria Police conduct bail compliance every single day.

"They have teams that do this so let's get them get on with it and do their work."

Victoria Police said it was unaware the company had collapsed.

"These matters are being individually assessed to determine the most appropriate course of action, including any immediate compliance checks that are required," a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

"Police will continue to work with stakeholders including the Department of Justice and Community Safety, the Office of Public Prosecutions, and the courts in response to this issue."

NSW Police said officers routinely conduct bail compliance checks on people who are granted conditional bail.

"Where appropriate, any person found in breach of those conditions is put back before the courts," a NSW Police spokesperson said.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.