Victims of sexual and violent crime are being let down by the capital’s probation service, according to a new report.

HM Inspectorate of Probation described work with victims delivered by the London division of the National Probation Service (NPS) as “wholly unsatisfactory”. In more than a fifth of inspected cases, victims of serious crime were not offered access to its Victim Contact Scheme. The statutory scheme provides victims with updates on the perpetrator’s sentence and gives them an opportunity to contribute their views on release plans.

Chief Inspector of Probation Dame Glenys Stacey said: “We have found work with victims to be good or outstanding in other NPS divisions, so we are disappointed to see this is not the case in London. Some victims are not being offered a service at all, while others are receiving a service that is simply not good enough.

“There has been significant media, parliamentary and public interest in the London division’s work with victims in the Worboys case. The Secretary of State for Justice asked me to conduct an urgent review into the division’s work with victims, and this was published last year. It is deeply concerning to see that some victims of serious crime are still being failed by the service.”

Senior leaders are aware of difficulties with the scheme and have drawn up an action plan. At the time of inspection, some actions had not been implemented and inspectors concluded the scheme was not functioning as it should.

HM Inspectorate of Probation has given the London division of the NPS an overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’ – the second lowest of four ratings. While improvement is still needed, inspectors acknowledge the division has strengths and has made progress since its last inspection in 2017.

The division supervises more than 17,000 offenders in 29 offices, 12 approved premises (formerly known as probation or bail hostels) and nine prisons across the capital. Inspectors found staff have a sound understanding of the individuals under their supervision, and the assessment and planning of cases is done to a good standard overall.

The quality of the London division’s work to support decision-making in courts was rated ‘Good’. Inspectors found timely and largely comprehensive reports to help magistrates and judges in their sentencing decisions.

The division provides a comprehensive range of services to support individuals to turn away from crime. Services for female offenders are much improved since the last inspection. Projects to combat knife crime and improve access to accommodation show early promise.

Inspectors noted that London is the only one of the seven NPS divisions across England and Wales to have a Serious Case Advisory Unit. The unit provides profiling, advice and guidance on the handling of cases involving extremism, hate crime, gangs and serious organised crime. The division also leads or contributes to innovative multi-agency projects that tackle offences such as stalking and drugs-related crime in the gay community.

Inspectors were, however, concerned about aspects of the division’s work to protect the public. In one in five inspected cases, the probation officer and supervised individual do not have regular enough contact to manage and minimise the risk of harm safely. More attention should also be given to protect children and actual or potential victims.

As with other NPS divisions, there are staff shortages and issues with the national facilities management contract.

Dame Glenys said: “At the time of inspection, the London division had more than 150 unfilled vacancies and relied heavily on agency and temporary staff. High levels of attrition mean some offices lack experienced staff and this knowledge gap could potentially have an impact on the quality of services. Staffing problems are further exacerbated by high absence levels, with more than 10 per cent of staff absent through sickness or maternity leave.

“As we have found elsewhere, the national facilities management contract is failing to make repairs in a timely way and there are often delays of several months. The neglect of basic maintenance is having a serious effect on this division. There are insecure doors and problems with operating CCTV; staff report feeling unsafe in some offices. The lack of upkeep resulted in the temporary closure of offices and the temporary loss of beds in the approved premises. We recommend the Ministry of Justice, which manages the contract, steps in.”

The Inspectorate’s report concludes with seven recommendations to help the division to focus on areas for improvement.

ENDS

 Notes to editor

1. The report is available at justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation on Wednesday 22 May 00:01.
2. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth offending and probation services across England and Wales.
3. The National Probation Service (NPS) comprises seven divisions: six in England and one in Wales. The London division of the NPS supervised 17,359 people and had 1,268 staff in post, as at 30 September 2018.
4. Fieldwork for this inspection took place in January and February 2019.
5. The Secretary of State for Justice asked Chief Inspector of Probation Dame Glenys Stacey to urgently review the way the Victim Contact Scheme engaged with victims in the Worboys case. The full report is available on the HMI Probation website.

For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications Catherine Chan on 07889 405930 or media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)