So, we get prisons being front and centre of this thirst for vengeance and no wonder Probation is starved of investment- it's not an appeasement to the baying mob. As far as recruitment goes: this is constantly in flux. It doesn't take into consideration those wanting to leave now or are thinking of leaving and the number of new recruits who may not stay the distance, which is between 24 and 32 months after PO status without NQO and completion of the PQIP has been achieved, because the culture at a given a PDU may not be conducive to a person's circumstances or working practice. Cliques, favouritism, factions, staff using leverage, side hustles that lead to exemptions, meaning more work for others; some factors that come into play in a PDU that are hidden until you get there. Probation often doesn't help itself with the culture it creates and normalises, because it is what it is becomes the status quo
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[above] has nailed it - report after report after report after report, but no-one gives a flying fuck what they say; they make no difference to the day-to-day reality... people get paid shitloads more to prepare & publish the reports than those trying to deliver what the reports blather on about. casey has made a fortune out of being a professional "cszar"; chairs of enquiries get paid £hundreds-of-thousands over the period of the hearings they preside over; judges get their salaries PLUS whatever the hearing daily rate is.
What's the fucking point? As someone else has already highlighted, the first NAO report on TR was predicated on govt lies & misinformation... just because a report matches your prejudice doesn't mean its accurate. The situation for probation staff is dire, whether you're new or existing or long-serving. Management is a non-sequitur, in the majority of cases its simply a label for collusive shitweasel (there are always exceptional exceptions).
[above] has nailed it - report after report after report after report, but no-one gives a flying fuck what they say; they make no difference to the day-to-day reality... people get paid shitloads more to prepare & publish the reports than those trying to deliver what the reports blather on about. casey has made a fortune out of being a professional "cszar"; chairs of enquiries get paid £hundreds-of-thousands over the period of the hearings they preside over; judges get their salaries PLUS whatever the hearing daily rate is.
What's the fucking point? As someone else has already highlighted, the first NAO report on TR was predicated on govt lies & misinformation... just because a report matches your prejudice doesn't mean its accurate. The situation for probation staff is dire, whether you're new or existing or long-serving. Management is a non-sequitur, in the majority of cases its simply a label for collusive shitweasel (there are always exceptional exceptions).
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HMPPS’s ‘Our Future Probation Programme’ is not bold and innovative approach, it’s nonsense and I cringe every time I hear it. If HMPPS acknowledges that the Probation Service is currently unsustainable then why isn’t it adequately paid and resourcing probation staff. The fix isn’t rocket science, but let’s see how quick they farm in Serco, Sodexo, G4S and others to do the “extra work” the prison crisis and so called reforms are generating. It’s been said time and again, even on this blog, until probation is separated from prisons, the civil service and political meddling, there will be no change.
If probation is unable to develop a clear and credible identity, distinct from narratives around punishment, public safety, use of technology, cost-effectiveness, or custody alternatives, and to resist the urge to overpromise on risk management, public protection, and crime control, then it will continue to face the challenge of misrepresentation. Without a clearly defined identity, probation remains vulnerable to external pressures, limiting its autonomy and effectiveness to dust.
HMPPS’s ‘Our Future Probation Programme’ is not bold and innovative approach, it’s nonsense and I cringe every time I hear it. If HMPPS acknowledges that the Probation Service is currently unsustainable then why isn’t it adequately paid and resourcing probation staff. The fix isn’t rocket science, but let’s see how quick they farm in Serco, Sodexo, G4S and others to do the “extra work” the prison crisis and so called reforms are generating. It’s been said time and again, even on this blog, until probation is separated from prisons, the civil service and political meddling, there will be no change.
If probation is unable to develop a clear and credible identity, distinct from narratives around punishment, public safety, use of technology, cost-effectiveness, or custody alternatives, and to resist the urge to overpromise on risk management, public protection, and crime control, then it will continue to face the challenge of misrepresentation. Without a clearly defined identity, probation remains vulnerable to external pressures, limiting its autonomy and effectiveness to dust.
Reports and enquiries are just another aspect of the tick box culture that dominates our society.
ReplyDeleteWhen something happens, the solution is an enquiry and a subsequent report.
Box ticked. Job done.
The outcome is always "lessons need to be learned".
It's a demonstration that our political structures themselves are just as broken and dysfunctional and damaged as the public services they are charged to oversee.
'Getafix
It's all nothing. The clever professor Brian Cox confirms to all just how irrelevant we are. The whole thing earth and our galaxy. 1 year from here travelling at the speed of light we couldn't get close to anything out there. Every star at night we see is in fact another sun and the light we see from it is travelling already a billion years old before we see it. Each star others suns have their own planets . For every star you see there are more of them than every grain of sand on the earth. Beyond our scope grasp imagination I don't know but what do know is everything pales to insignificance when we look beyond the daily crap we are dealing with.
ReplyDeleteWhat has this got to do with anything facing us. Your a bit out there you mean. Back on earth then. Lammy has presented an inquiry for the release of. Foreign national probation was mentioned but jenrick had the better half of it. Lammy is limited in his ability to mange pressure by an obvious country mile. How can he hold such office hardly robust. I doubt he could have been any use in legal matters. Heavy sighs and breathing out a few old legalese shows he has limited repertoire.
DeleteInstitute for government on BBC news Cassia Rowland senior research officer. Speaking up for the justice system she referenced probation very well. 30 under staffed in po grades strain on the system and vulnerability across the board on more going wrong. Not our union speaking up at this crisis point as usual but Cassia has just shown Napo how to manage pr on probations front.
ReplyDeleteWe have many in probation that speak up for probation, and many more that are willing to do so. Many have been featured here over the years too. The problem is we’re not listened to.
DeletePaying a union to protect us defend us represent us. Napo does not do any of these things.
DeleteA couple of interestingly responses on the POA homepage today. They are clearly digging their heels for a scrap with the MoJ.
Deletehttps://www.poauk.org.uk/news-events/news-room/posts/2025/october/circ-068-general-secretary-update-release-in-error/
https://www.poauk.org.uk/news-events/news-room/posts/2025/october/pr-291-poa-response-to-the-statement-from-the-secretary-of-state-for-justice/
'Getafix
On 24th October 2025 a prisoner was released in error from HMP Chelmsford. The NEC determined that we would not do any media interviews until such times as we understood what had happened. We were inundated with requests from countless outlets including SKY, BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and ITV along with newspapers and numerous radio stations over the weekend. The National Chair and I declined to do any as we wanted to speak to our member who we established was suspended on that day and to the local POA committee at Chelmsford so we could be better informed.
DeleteI am glad that we took that stance and did not dive in with misinformation and the fact that there is an investigation which commenced today. I personally spoke to our member involved on Saturday 25th October 2025 and he is being supported not just by the POA, but I also have to state the Governor and Deputy Governor of Chelmsford.
I am grateful to Senior members of HMPPS for keeping the POA up to date as best they could without encroaching on the investigation that has commenced. Our priority is and will be to safeguard our member and not allow a trial by media or social media develop into a political witch hunt by any political party.
I visited our suspended member today 27th October 2025 and accompanied him to Chelmsford prison for his interview. He has been treated until now extremely fairly and what we discussed will remain private so as not to compromise any investigation.
Irrespective of pressure being applied by the media or indeed social media platforms the POA will always dictate when we will do our media not react just to be in the media spotlight. We are now in a better position of knowledge and will commence this afternoon some media duties not impacting on the investigation.
Our thoughts will always be to have our members interests at heart and showing compassion and professionalism to the victims of crime. We will address the issues in the coming days and weeks in relation to the prison crisis, but we will not accept the media, politicians, or social media platforms scapegoating and making false and malicious allegations. Further it is totally unacceptable on some social media platforms to blame inexperienced staff, or our foreign national staff being badly trained for issues that are systemic and outside their control. It is a disgrace that some individuals choose to attack our members who are foreign nationals and new members of staff and the POA who are the only recognised trade union in the public sector Prison Service will stand shoulder to shoulder with them to defend their interests.
I will give further updates once the investigation is complete where I will be able to speak more freely. I hope the membership understand why the POA waited until an appropriate time to do media work on this issue. We will also fully participate in the Inquiry the Deputy Prime Minister is due to announce and give clear evidence on behalf of POA members.
Commenting on the statement made by David Lammy MP, Secretary of State for Justice, Steve Gillan General Secretary of the Prison Officers' Association said:
Delete"The POA acknowledge the admission by the Secretary of State that the prison system has been 'brought to its knees' following a decade and a half of swingeing cuts to the prisons budget.
We have a criminal justice system in crisis with our prisons overcrowded and understaffed with a staff cohort under pressure like never before.
Unless these issues are dealt with urgently then mistakes like this are likely to happen.
The POA will cooperate with the independent inquiry into the release of Hadush Kebatu"
Mark Fairhurst National Chair of the POA stated:
“The POA will fully support our members who are involved in this incident. We will not accept any scapegoating of staff to satisfy political narratives. There is a severe lack of training for staff at all grades, an issue we have highlighted to HMPPS for at least a decade, the pressure on staff is intolerable, and this will inevitably lead to mistakes. These issues should have been addressed a long time ago, but as usual, our employer waits for a headline and then acts.
Our main concern now is to support our members and co-operate with any investigation to ensure this is never repeated and staff are competent and confident in their roles.”
"The process starts at the offender management unit".
DeleteIs it possible that probation could be blamed for the erroneous release of a deportee?
https://www.channel4.com/news/prison-union-chair-says-officer-unjustly-singled-out-over-prisoner-release
'Getafix
As a probation officer I have had 3 people unlawfully released once the prison rang me and asked me to do a home visit and tell the person on to hand himself in
ReplyDeleteGuess what he said
ReplyDeleteNapo’s GS, Ian Lawrence, shares his thoughts on the National Audit Office report into probation.
ReplyDeleteThe National Audit Office report that has been issued today, represents one of the most damning that I have seen in my long career.
It totally vindicates everything that Napo has been saying about the current state of the Probation Service and the systemic failings by HMPPS leadership over a number of years, and the dereliction of duty shown by the previous government and, to some extent, the current administration in failing to get to grips with the myriad issues that are highlighted in the report.
To use a recent quote by the Prisons and Probation Minister Lord Timpson: “Probation does the heavy lifting in the Justice system,” and staff have worked heroically to try and deliver one initiative after another to try and keep the public safe, and help to turn lives around while facing the huge challenges that follow the unprecedented number of Prisoners coming back into our communities on early release schemes.
To do that work effectively, it’s obvious that the service requires more staff and vastly improved political support. It’s also clear that the senior management regime within HMPPS has been an abject failure, and hopefully the Public Accounts Committee will be asking serious questions about how a shortfall of several thousand staff in Sentence Management could go under the Radar as well as the unmanageable workloads that have been allowed to build up. We also expect to see this government deliver on its Manifesto commitment to review the future governance structure of the service with a view to retuning Probation back to the communities it serves and out of the Prison-Centric HMPPS.
More immediately, staff need to see a pay offer (some 10 months after the trade unions submitted a pay claim for 2025). The unacceptable delay after several weeks of negotiations last summer, smacks of disrespect and a continual assumption that the goodwill of staff can be relied upon yet again. Small wonder that Napo are making plans to again ballot our members for industrial action.
Napo demands a fair share of the allocated £700 million per year for the next 3 years from the Spending Review and that this must go directly into supporting front face practitioners and improved public safety, rather than being frittered away on grandiose AI projects. We also want to see an enquiry into the perennial failures of SERCO to deliver value to the taxpayer through its flawed electronic monitoring regime which as produced one failure after another.
Finally, Napo is grateful to the work undertaken by the NAO in terms of the need for transparency and public accountability.
Lawrence tosh . Look here mate all you complain of never once have you taken proper action or any account of what your members suffer. Long career perhaps you should go now it's time and there won't be any improvement of your game. Useless is always useless.
Delete"To use a recent quote by the Prisons and Probation Minister Lord Timpson: “Probation does the heavy lifting in the Justice system,” and staff have worked heroically to try and deliver one initiative after another to try and keep the public safe, and help to turn lives around while facing the huge challenges that follow the unprecedented number of Prisoners coming back into our communities on early release schemes."
ReplyDeleteAnd yet there is no money for a decent and well deserved payrise.
Should be paid on breach and recalls you’d all be millionaire
ReplyDeleteAs long as we didn't have to pay every time we went out of our way to avoid a breach or recall.....most of us would be skint!
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