Another Milestone

The blog counter tells me that I've passed 100,000 hits since starting in August 2010 which feels great, even though sadly in recent times the hit-rate has been inflated by pesky attention from spammers. Nevertheless, it feels good and I'll certainly be raising a glass later today in celebration. Thankyou for reading and some of you for taking the time to give valuable feedback. It really is much appreciated. 

I sense that this year is going to be another significant milestone for probation. 2012 sees NAPO marking its centenary, but sadly any celebrations will be tempered by significant chunks of the Service moving out of the public sector. There's been precious little public awareness or comment on the proposed privatisations, effectively giving the politicians a free hand. But at long last the Probation Chiefs Association seem to have woken up to the widespread ignorance the public has about our work and have suddenly become more media savvy. They are giving some prominence to the efforts of Russell Webster, an independent consultant and I'm sure it's not just coincidence that the initiative has been launched at the same time as the BBC screens the first major probation drama since 'Hard Cases' in the late 80's. 

Readers will be aware that I've already expressed my disappointment with 'Public Enemies' and been taken to task for naivety to a certain extent as a result. I understand that drama often does not represent reality, but our problem is that public ignorance remains widespread and probation features but rarely in tv drama, and then mostly in terrible 'bit parts.' Did anyone catch a glimpse recently of a black probation officer broadcasting his involvement with a client to the regulars in the Queen Vic in Albert Square?

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to see what others are saying, like the Probation Chiefs Association:-

"While a drama would not be expected to reflect accurately the day to day work of probation, it does bring out many of the themes that face probation staff daily. Striking the balance between restrictive requirements and the more “constructive interventions“ sometimes referred to in the film is correctly and sensitively portrayed.  In terms of the fictional Probation officer/offender relationship, viewers will no doubt find the suggestion of the ‘up close and personal’ chemistry compelling. It is far removed from reality. What is true and backed by solid research evidence is that the professional Probation Officer/offender relationship is a key factor in successfully reducing reoffending."

I seem to recall that when 'Z Cars', 'Softly, Softly', 'The Sweeney', and 'The Bill' were first aired they got a panning from official police sources. Well, in true probation style, I think this carefully-crafted statement counts as a panning, lol!