‘Renationalise probation services after crime rises’
THE number of offenders committing serious crimes while under probation has surged since the UK Government introduced privatisation reforms, according to an analysis by Plaid Cymru.
It reports that the number of offenders under statutory probation supervision being charged with crimes such as murder, manslaughter, rape or other serious violent or sexual offences has gone up by 26.4% since the system was overhauled.
Justice Minister Sam Gyimah told Plaid Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts that a total of 517 reviews were triggered in 2016-17 after an offender was charged.
He added there were 507 such reviews in 2015-16 across England and Wales compared to 429 in 201314, 409 in 2012-13 and 441 in 201112.
Under reforms introduced in 2014, the National Probation Service (NPS) was created to deal with highrisk offenders and the remaining work was assigned to 21 new Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs).
Ms Roberts said that in some cases “telephone reporting” has been used to supervise offenders.
She wants the UK Government to “admit it was wrong” and bring the probation service fully back into the public sector. She also wants responsibility for justice in Wales to be transferred from MPs to AMs.
The Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP said: “This is an extremely worrying rise in serious crime committed by people who are supposedly under supervision. It is astonishing that Ministers are claiming the difficulties faced since privatisation were unforeseen when a leaked internal risk management document shows that they were warned.
“These are offenders who, under the supervision of the probation service, committed murder, manslaughter, rape or another serious violent or sexual offence. That the number of instances of this kind has surged by 26% since the probation service was privatised is deeply worrying and we know from leaked documents that Ministers were warned that privatisation could lead to this.
“The British Government needs to admit it was wrong and commit to renationalising the probation service.”
Tania Bassett, of the National Association of Probation Officers (Napo), said: “For Ministers to say these issues were unforeseen is disingenuous. Napo campaigned against [the Transforming Rehabilitation plans] on the basis it posed a direct risk of harm to the public and took industrial action on two occasions to highlight our concerns. Ministers were also warned by leading probation figures at the time in the ministerial sounding board that was set up but again these concerns fell of deaf ears.
“The Government must now take urgent action to restore the probation service that is failing on so many levels and Napo will be pressing for a full inquiry by the Justice Select Committee.”
Ms Roberts obtained the figures through written questions answered by Justice Minister Mr Gyimah.