June 7, 2004: New National Offender Manager Appointed
The Home Office has announced that Christine Knott, CBE, has been appointed the first National Offender Manager for England and Wales. Ms Knott, currently Chief Officer of Greater Manchester Probation Area, will report directly to Martin Narey Chief Executive of the new National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
This represents an important step forward in the setting of the new single service supervising the “end-to-end management” of all offenders. It is envisaged that the Prison and Probation Services will form a fully integrated and regionalised structure within five years. Ms Knott will take over the procurement and management of national contracts for custodial places and the provision of programmes in the community and in custody.Her responsibilities will include:
- Management of the soon to be appointed 10 Regional Offender
Managers in the nine English regions and Wales
- Delegated responsibility for a
substantial budget for managing offenders in custody or in the
community and for ensuring that the necessary services and
interventions are available
- Ensuring the regional
infrastructure for supporting offender management is robust
- Over time, playing a crucial role in developing “contestability” across the correctional services to ensure best value for money