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News Archives: Index

October 7, 2010: Probation Set For Industrial Action

October 5, 2010: Turning Prisoners Into Taxpayers

October 4, 2010: Murder Changes Now In Force

September 20, 2010: Probation Programmes Face Cuts

August 24, 2010: Victorian Poor Law Records Online

August 10, 2010: Justice Job Cuts

July 28, 2010: Prison Violence Growing

July 22, 2010: Police Numbers: Latest Figures

July 22, 2010: New Jurisdiction Rules

July 16, 2010: CCJS On Prison And Probation Spending Under Labour

July 15, 2010: Latest Statistics On Violent And Sexual Crime

July 15, 2010: Latest National Crime Figures

July 15, 2010: New Chief Prisons Inspector

July 14, 2010: Hard Times Ahead For Prisons: Anne Owers

July 14, 2010: Prison Does Not Work: Ken Clarke

July 13, 2010: Criminal Justice Reform: Sentencing and Rehabilitation

July 13, 2010: Criminal Justice Reform Priorities

July 12, 2010: What Price Public Protection, Asks Probation Chief Inspector

July 12, 2010: NOMS has failed, says Napo

July 10, 2010: IPCC To Investigate Death of Raoul Moat

July 9, 2010: Women In Prison: New Report

July 9, 2009: Unjust Deserts: Imprisonment for Public Protection

July 8, 2010: Police Search Powers Change

July 7, 2010: Make 'Legal High' Illegal, Says ACMD

July 2, 2010: Failing Children In Prison

July 2, 2010: Police Buried Under a Blizzard of Guidance: HMIC

July 1, 2010: Freedom To Change The Law?

June 30, 2010: A New Outlook On Penal Reform?

June 30, 2010: Revolving Door Of Offending Must Stop, Says Clarke

June 30, 2010: Ken Clarke: Speech on Criminal Justice Reform

June 29, 2010: No More Police Targets

June 26, 2010: Family Intervention Projects Questioned

June 25, 2010: Cutting Criminal Justice

June 24, 2010: Napo on Sex Offenders Report

June 23, 2010: Closing Courts: The Cuts Begin

June 23, 2010: Strategy To Tackle Gangs

June 15, 2010: Courts and Mentally Disordered Offenders

June 8, 2010: Working With Muslims in Prison

June 1, 2010: Your Chance To Nominate a QC

December 17, 2005: Probation Union Calls for Inquiry

Harry Fletcher of Probation Union Napo, responding to the conviction of two defendants for the murder of banker John Monckton, said today:

“This was an extremely serious and violent offence. There must be an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding this murder, including the reasons for parole decisions and all supervision plans. Any findings that would suggest a need for improved procedures, should be acted upon without delay to minimise the possibility of any further tragedies occurring and to maximise public protection.”

“The Probation Service is increasingly supervising offenders on license who have been convicted of serious offences and where public protection is clearly an issue. Last year 1,478 licensees came under the supervision of the Probation Service, where the risk to the public was considered very high; and a further 11,280, where the risk of harm was described as high. In all, 1,374 of this caseload were recalled to custody, and 79 (or 0.6%) of the total were charged with a further serious offence. It is essential that the Probation Service has sufficient trained and experienced staff to carry out its public protection duties efficiently and effectively.”

Damien Hanson, one of the murderers, was released from prison 3 months prior to Mr Monckton's murder in November 2004. He had served 7 years of a 12-year prison sentence, imposed for attempted murder. He was dealt with by the probation service alone rather than the MAPPA multi-agency approach which is typically used to work with the most serious offenders.