October 9, 2004: Minister Speaks to Probation Officers

Continued investment in the Probation Service should give rise to improvements in offender management, according to Home Office Prisons and Probation Minister Paul Goggins.

In a speech to probation union NAPO’s conference, he described further investment in probation as fundamental for ensuring effective supervision of offenders by the new National Offender Management Service (NOMS). New funding will bring the total number of probation staff to 21,000 and continues year-on-year increases in staff numbers.

According to Mr Goggins:

"This Government has invested heavily in the Probation Service – this year spending some £300 million more than in 1997, and increasing staff numbers by over 5,000 in the same period. This investment is set to continue with further recruitment of front line and support staff. By 2006 the workforce will have increased by fifty per cent. But I want to be unambiguous about our expectations for this new money. I want to see a return on this investment, through a reduction of reoffending and more effective management of the offender through prison and in the community. The Probation Service has a vital role to play in this goal as a key part of a single Offender Management Service."

However, Mr Goggins also noted that there would be no retreat from current policies, including contestability (seen by some as a euphemism for privatisation).

"… I want to be clear that we are pressing ahead with reform, including further improvements in performance, the introduction of contestability, closer work with prisons and more partnerships with the private and voluntary sectors. This will be vital if we are to successfully introduce the new sentences under the Criminal Justice Act."

"The ability to deliver high quality offender management, in collaboration with others, has been powerfully evident in the development of Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements. While still relatively new, it is clear that the MAPPA represent a world-leading system for the management and supervision of dangerous offenders, and protects the public better than ever before. The ways of working that have been developed under MAPPA provide a blueprint for close co-operation between the Probation Service and other agencies, including the Prison Service and Police."

Mr Goggins' full speech to the NAPO confernence can be downloaded here.