County Agencies - National Probation Service

Probation in Lancashire is part of the National Probation Service, a statutory criminal justice service. As a law enforcement agency we work together with the Police and Prison Services as well as Courts and Crown Prosecution Service.

In Lancashire our Area Service works closely with local authorities and statutory services and with a wide range of independent and voluntary sector partners.

Probation's role is to

protect the public
reduce re-offending
enforce punishment of offenders
rehabilitate offenders to law-abiding lives
uphold the interests of victims of crime

Our role

Lancashire is one of 42 areas within the National Probation Service for England and Wales which is led by the National Director Eithne Wallis. In Lancashire, the Service is led by area Chief Officer John Crawforth and the Lancashire Probation Board

We work to the national Service objectives with focus on local delivery of services relevant to the needs and concerns of all sections of of our diverse county. Main aspects of our work having our priority to protect the public are to:

provide information and assessment to the courts to assist sentencing and other decisions
supervise and enforce Court orders and prison licences
rehabilitate offenders to law-abiding lives and so reduce rates of re-offending, using effective programmes and specialist services for offenders to tackle offending behaviour
work with offenders in prison and leading up to and after release
work in statutory partnership with police and other agencies in the management of dangerous violent and sexual offenders
contribute to community safety in all 14 Lancashire districts
uphold the rights and interests of victims

We work for the protection of all members of the community. The public rightly expects that offenders should receive punishment for their crimes and also that steps are taken to tackle the underlying causes of their behaviour and to minimise the risk of further offending. Our work in contact with victims of crime is to ensure that their views are heard and acknowledged and that they have information and access to the process of justice.

Probation in Lancashire has won national recognition for local pioneering initiatives, for example action in tackling persistent offenders and taking forward research to tackle racially motivated offending. We put emphasis on partnership working with other public, voluntary and private agencies contributing to reduce crime and re-offending and promoting community safety.

As a public service, we value diversity and uphold equality of opportunity for all staff and users of probation services. In Lancashire, as one of the largest ' shire county' probation areas, we serve a total population of 1.4 million people of cultural and ethnic diversity including communities of South Asian heritage.

At any one time we are supervising a total of about 4,100 offenders in the local communities of Lancashire. Most of these offenders are subject to a Court Order, having been sentenced to serve a penalty in the community. About 600 of the total are subject to licence for a fixed time after their release from prison. In partnership with prisons we contribute to supervising about 1450 prisoners in custody and due for eventual release.

Each year we supervise about 140,000 hours worked in the community by offenders who have been sentenced to serve Community Punishment orders. This means offenders undertake unpaid work that benefits the community. This work is known as Community Service. Our Service arranges placements for offenders to do this work and we aim for this work to contribute to community safety, to help prevent crime and help victims of crime.

Probation in Lancashire employs a total of about 550 staff. They are community-based in 21 local centres and two hostels and in Lancashire's six prisons including a young offenders' institution.

The Lancashire Probation Board oversees the work of the Service in the Lancashire area. The Board is accountable to the National Probation Service Director for the performance and delivery of services in Lancashire area to the national targets. The area Service is scrutinised by HM Inspectorate of Probation and local and district auditors.

The Board's main duties are to:
1) employ the area Service's staff
2) provide for efficient probation work in Lancashire area
3) oversee the area's annual budget
4) ensure that offenders and the community know about the work of probation and understand probation services.

In setting the strategic direction of probation services in Lancashire, the Board consults widely and links with a range of agencies and organisations in the Lancashire communities and regionally and nationally.

The Board membership is:

Chairman. And 12 members appointed by the Home Secretary
NPS Lancashire Area Chief Officer John Crawforth
Member appointed by the Lord Chancellor's Department

The Home Secretary appoints Board members representative of all the community across Lancashire by an open process of public recruitment and selection. Appointment is based on the individual skills and experience that people bring to the Board.

Board meetings in public

Board meetings are held regularly at different places around the county to enable people in local communities to hear about the work the Probation Service does on their behalf and to raise any local issues and concerns. When and where the board meets is advertised widely

Probation funding

Probation budgets are is cash-limited by the Home Office. This determines the amount of grants which central government will spend on any probation service. The national cash limit is distributed between areas by a formula which takes account of each area's workload and needs.

For further information visit: www.probation-lancashire.org.uk