Context Is Everything

Watching and hearing the news from an inquest on Friday night, there won't be a probation officer who didn't feel a shudder and reflect 'there but the grace of God.' The following is from an ITN report which includes a shockingly short video clip from Sonia Flynn, NPS Chief Probation Officer which I find of concern, but I notice a different clip was aired by Ch4 news on Friday.   

Missed chances to save Janet Scott, the former NHS worker murdered by her jealous ex-partner

A Nottingham coroner said "missed opportunities" by the probation service had "significantly contributed" to the murder of a mum-of-six. The inquest into Mrs Scott's death found the probation officer managing Mellors failed to spot vital signs that he was a danger, and had he acted sooner Mrs Scott might be alive today.

During the inquest, Mellors probation officer said one of the reasons he failed to act despite Mellors increasingly erratic behaviour was his excessive workload. He told the Coroner staffing levels were so low that he had too many cases to deal with and he'd reported this to his bosses but received no support from them.  (my underlining)  
  
What has the MOJ said?

The Ministry of Justice has apologised for what it calls the ‘unacceptable failings’ that allowed a convicted murderer to be free to kill for a second time. Reports from the probation service show they made several errors that allowed Mellors to kill - including not acting on warnings from Janet Scott and her family. 

Then there is this from the Nottingham Post:-

Speaking after the hearing, Chief Probation Officer Sonia Flynn CBE said: 

“This was a truly horrific crime and the decision-making was well below what I expect of an experienced probation officer, for which I sincerely apologise to Janet Scott’s family. Since that dreadful day in 2018, we have introduced specialist training on coercive control and stalking and recruited an extra 1,300 staff into the National Probation Service to help better protect the public.”

--oo00oo--

The tragic case of Janet Scott was first mentioned here in 2018 in a post headed 'TR Leads to Rise in SFO's', the subject having been explored in depth a month earlier in a post entitled 'The True Cost of TR.' These were my opening thoughts back then:-

Serious Further Offences are something all Probation Officers live in fear of and particularly the subsequent investigation. From the beginning of TR it was always said that one likely outcome would be an increase in SFO's and I have reason to believe there's been a deliberate policy of trying to hide the true extent by various means. It should be of particular concern that the suggested oversight of the process by HM Probation Inspectorate is not now to take place.

I'm firmly of the opinion that this dreadful case must be considered in the context of what was going on within the National Probation Service at the time and as a direct consequence of the TR omnishambles. This from Ian Lawrence, Napo General Secretary in 2018:-  

“The increase in SFO’s is a major public health and public safety issue that the MoJ needs to start taking seriously,” he said. “Our members are overworked, under-resourced and many, especially in the NPS are facing burnout. There is currently a consultation on the future of probation and the minister now needs to start listening to the experts instead of the privateers and stop being wedded to the marketisation of probation. We urgently need a publicly owned reunified service to effectively protect the public and have local and public accountability. People are literally dying as a result of this failed social experiment. Napo will continue to campaign until we achieve this.”

The shadow justice secretary, Richard Burgon, said: 

“All too often probation appears stretched to breaking point and struggling to fulfil its fundamental role of keeping the public safe. The Conservatives’ irresponsible decision to break up and privatise much of probation has put huge pressures on the system. The government urgently needs to explain how it plans to tackle this extremely worrying rise in serious offences committed by offenders.”

These contributions were made at the time:-  

I retired from NPS two years ago. This would have been around the time of this SFO. Conditions were intolerable then. It was impossible to adequately supervise a high number of high risk cases to a good standard. Being very aware of the risks posed by these offenders, I found myself regularly working until 10pm in order to keep up to date with reports, records and assessments. I am not surprised by these regrettable events. The root of the problem is the governments reorganisation into CRC and NPS. It was never going to work. After happily working as a PO for 30 years, I came to the point where I was experiencing panic attacks trying to cope with the work to a good standard. I just had to get out. Worst decision ever was TR. Simply increased risk in order to save money. Gov were warned from day one that this would not work. I doubt that they will accept any of the blame whatsoever.

The known practice of probation SFO investigators and investigations is to find fault with the practice of probation officers. They will find fault and poor practice even when it does not exist, and they’ll blame every failing on probation officers even when probation officers are not at fault. I have seen many SFO investigations and reports, but never one that did not identify blame or bad practice of a supervising probation officer.

I have literally done the work of three Probation Officers today. Short-staffed. Absolutely knackered, now abusing alcohol (ie myself). It was shit work, cutting and pasting and ticking boxes, with this case thrumming away at the back of my mind. My email inbox is jammed with forwarded on invitations to training events, invitations to staff awards nominations, invitations to career enhancing this and that. This is absolute insanity. And more of this tomorrow. Heart goes out [to the] family, also to the probation officer.

--oo00oo-- 

In discussing the case of Leroy Campbell in 2018 I made this observation:-  

The following are my selected extracts that should give a flavour of the case, issues involved and in particular how TR played a significant part in the tragedy. In particular I must stress how unwise it is to expect Probation Officers to be able to handle a caseload made up of only high risk cases - it will inevitably lead to disaster for all involved.

This was just one of the many negative consequences of TR and the Report says:-

The changes brought in by the restructuring of probation services meant that the NPS became entirely focused on MAPPA cases and those presenting a high risk of harm to others. This is a significant change for those staff and managers who had previously held a more varied caseload. Prioritisation now meant identifying the highest risk cases within a caseload where few present a low risk. One could speculate that the benchmark for cases that receive the most attention moved upwards.

--oo00oo-- 

Whilst thinking of all those involved in this tragic case and hoping there is adequate support for everyone, there is one final observation I will make. It concerns a statement made at the time by the NPS covering Nottingham regarding the appointment of extra staff and reported by BBC regional news:-  

"16 more probation officers had been taken on at the Nottinghamshire Probation Service in the wake of Mrs Scott's death."

This was patently incorrect as the staff were either PSO's or admin staff and the misleading statement was either the result of sloppy journalism, a deliberate NPS attempt at misleading the public or a combination of both. I remember that statement being made and the widespread outrage it caused within the service at the time:- 

The Ministry of Justice has apologised for "unacceptable failings" that saw a convicted murderer kill again.

Janet Scott, from Nottingham, was killed in January by Simon Mellors, who was released from prison on licence after murdering his former partner. A review said the probation service failed to act on Mrs Scott's fears about Mellors before her death. The ministry said more workers had been taken on since the killing, but unions said staff remained stretched.

Mellors was released from prison in 2014 after murdering his previous partner Pearl Black in 1999. He was in a relationship with Mrs Scott, 51, in 2017 and stabbed her before driving his car into her, killing her instantly. Mellors killed himself in prison after being charged with her murder and the attempted murder of a traffic officer who tried to help her.

The report said Mrs Scott had told Mellors' probation officer he was "loitering" near her work and had approached her twice on her way into work, once at 04:30 GMT, which should have prompted a review. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it accepted the report's recommendations and 16 more probation officers had been taken on at the Nottinghamshire Probation Service in the wake of Mrs Scott's death.

A spokesman said: "There are now enough staff to ensure the service is staffed properly and can carry out its work following failings that were indicated by the review." He declined to comment on whether excessive workload was a factor in the case but added the probation officer in charge of Mellors remained on the team. "The member of staff involved in Janet Scott's case had a disciplinary hearing but the threshold for dismissal was not met," he said.

In a statement, the MoJ said: "This was a truly awful crime and our thoughts remain with the victim, their family and friends. We apologise sincerely for the unacceptable failings that have been identified."

Ian Lawrence, the general secretary for NAPO - the trade union that represents probation staff - said the number of serious further offences occurring among offenders had increased by 20% since 2016. He blamed the situation on excessive caseloads and the fragmentation of the service. While he had not seen the review into Mellors' case, which the MoJ is not publishing externally, he said he was "not surprised".

"All of the evidence highlights failings in terms of excessive workloads for staff," he said.