Derbyshire Probation service rated 'inadequate'
Probation service rated 'inadequate'
10 minutes ago
Share
Save
Andrew Strachan
BBC News, Derby
Share
Save
BBC
Inspectors say a probation unit in Derbyshire is inadequate
A probation unit has been rated as inadequate following an inspection.
HM Inspectorate of Probation has highlighted "several significant problems relating to culture, morale, and workloads" within Derbyshire Probation Delivery Unit (PDU).
Martin Jones, the chief inspector of probation, said inspectors were "concerned with the delivery of services to keep people safe and reduce the potential risk of harm posed by people on probation".
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which has overall control of the probation service, said it "inherited a criminal justice system in crisis" but was "supporting staff by improving training" and recruiting more probation officers.
'Hostility'
This is the first inspection of this PDU since it was established under the unification of probation services in 2021.
Mr Jones continued: "These are very disappointing results. Whilst staff numbers and workloads are improving, leaders have not done enough to support their staff in very challenging circumstances."
The report pinpointed poor morale across the PDU, with perceptions of a culture of blame, and staff not feeling valued.
Inspectors observed a "difficult working environment, with divisions and hostility between all grades of staff".
Access to good-quality safeguarding information was a problem in keeping people safe, meaning not all potential victims were identified in assessments.
The report makes six recommendations, including to clearly communicate strategic priorities and to ensure that domestic abuse and safeguarding information is complete and analysed sufficiently in all cases.
Derby City Probation Delivery Unit "requires improvement", a report has found
Derby City Probation Delivery Unit, meanwhile, has been rated as "requires improvement".
This is the second inspection of the PDU since the reunification of the Probation Service in 2021, and was last inspected 2023, when it was rated as "requires improvement" overall.
Martin Jones said: "Despite significant challenges, it was pleasing to see some stability across the Derby City PDU and a staff group who were engaged and motivated to do what was best for people on probation.
"I am encouraged by what we saw at Derby City. The changes brought in by the interim head of service and deputy are beginning to have a positive impact on service delivery."
In a statement, the MoJ said: "The government inherited a criminal justice system in crisis which has put huge strain on the probation service, despite the efforts of hard-working staff.
"We are supporting staff by improving training and recruiting 1,300 new probation officers nationally to deliver robust supervision and protect the public."
Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
30 minutes ago
- Reuters
Former Arsenal forward jailed in UK on cannabis smuggling charge
LONDON, June 5 (Reuters) - Former Arsenal and Ipswich Town forward Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was on Thursday jailed for four years for orchestrating the smuggling of 60 kg of cannabis into Britain's Stansted Airport. The 34-year-old, who was released by Scottish second division club Greenock Morton after being charged last year, pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court last month. Britain's National Crime Agency previously said Emmanuel-Thomas had recruited his girlfriend and another woman to travel to Thailand, where Emmanuel-Thomas briefly played in 2019, to collect the cannabis and smuggle it to Britain. The two women were also charged with smuggling cannabis but the prosecution offered no evidence against them and the charges were dropped on Wednesday, the NCA added. Emmanuel-Thomas sat in the dock as Judge Alexander Mills told him: "Your transition from professional footballer to criminal represents a substantial fall from grace, one that effectively ends the only career path that you have ever known." He will serve 40% of that sentence in custody before he is released on licence. Prosecutor David Josse said the 60 kg of cannabis had a street value of approximately 600,000 pounds (roughly $816,000) and a wholesale value of around 250,000 pounds, though Emmanuel-Thomas was paid 5,000 pounds for his involvement. "This was an isolated incident (and) a catastrophic error of judgment," Emmanuel-Thomas' lawyer Alex Rose told the court.
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Rapist jailed for nine years for Shrewsbury attack
An "evil" man who raped a woman in a dark alleyway has been sentenced to nine years in Harvey, 25, of Clive Barracks in Tern Hill, Shropshire, had previously admitted carrying out the attack in the early hours of 6 July in the Mardol area of Shrewsbury.A statement from the victim, read out at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, said she had suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and anxiety since the attack, and rarely went out with friends said she had been motivated to see the trial through to the end to prevent Harvey attacking anyone else, but as a result had been "forced to relive the worst moment of my life repeatedly". The court heard the incident, in which she was raped twice and sexually assaulted, had lasted about 20 Con Sam Jones said he had "committed a purely evil crime".In passing his sentence, Judge Richard McConaghy told Harvey: "You were drunk and had clearly been looking for sex."She was not interested in you, but you did not care."After the attack, the victim called the police, and the judge said the call had been "harrowing to listen to".Despite making full admissions to officers when he was arrested, Harvey chose to go to trial and contest the Con Jones said as a result of changing his story, he had subjected "his victim and her loved ones to sit through a trial and relive that awful night".The victim's statement, read by prosecutor Caroline Harris, said: "This man has no regard for women."He was found guilty in February by a jury following a nine-day sentencing hearing was not told what Harvey's job at the barracks had been, but the judge said he was "an educated man with a degree" and a "respectable career"."You had the capacity to make something of your life," the judge told sentenced Harvey to nine years for each of the charges of rape, to run concurrently, and seven years for the sexual assault, also to run judge said he must also serve three years on extended licence once his sentence was complete, be placed on the sex offenders register for life and must not contact victim directly or indirectly. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
PETER HITCHENS: The police are revolting against the people of this country. They have failed to do their jobs and now they dare threaten us... the time has come for change
Our police chiefs have now quite obviously grown too big for their helmets. Their heads have got too swollen, while their feet, which they barely use any more, have gone soft from lack of contact with the pavement. The sheer nerve of their new threat to stop investigating some crimes if they don't like the size of their budget is an outrage. If Sir Keir Starmer wants to evoke a great cry of 'At last!' from the people of this country, he will very swiftly squash this disgraceful revolt against the public and Parliament by three of the most senior figures in the police hierarchy.
