Report highlights gaps in sex offender management

The management of the most dangerous sex offenders in the community needs to improve, according to a joint report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and HM Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP).

The report – Managing Sex offenders in the Community – found the lack of an integrated approach to managing sex offenders in the community overshadowed positive developments in the way probation staff and police work with off-enders.

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, said: “This inspection makes clear that the oversight of high and very high risk of harm cases by police officers and probation staff needs to be improved.

“It is vital that police officers who are managing sex offenders in the community are appropriately trained and receive regular supervision. This is challenging and important work and demands a high degree of professionalism.

“We have therefore asked chief constables to ensure that only properly trained specialist officers are managing sex offenders in the community, and that these officers receive dedicated proactive super-vision.”

The report identifies several promising developments, such as the Probation Assessment and Management of Risk of Harm Action Plan and the ACPO public protection manual, but found that considerable improvements were needed in the way both services currently assess and manage sex offenders in order to safeguard public protection.

Findings included:

• A lack of integrated and accountable case management of sex offenders in the community, the delivery of which was poorly co-ordinated and inconsistent;

•Multi Agency Public Protection meeting minutes were not always integrated with the relevant probation and police case records;

•Staff were failing to record adequately all their contact with sex offenders and the work they and other agencies had done;

•There was a lack of clarity about the purpose, frequency and legal basis of home visits by the police and if and how effectively the sex offender register contributes to the management of sex offenders in the community;

•Gaps in training were evident for police and probation staff in the assessment and management of offenders’ Risk of Harm to others.

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation Andrew Bridges added: “It is important to both the police and probation services that sex offenders should be managed effectively in the community. The public would be highly critical if this did not happen. A more joined up strategic approach at a national and local level between police and probation for work with sex offenders and public protection would be helpful. The future work on the assessment and management of offenders’ Risk of Harm to others, by relevant agencies working together, is a step in the right direction.

Responding to the report, Dyfed-Powys Chief Constable Terry Grange, ACPO lead on Sex Offenders, said: “The police service is aware of the need to ensure that trained personnel are engaged in managing sex offenders. To that end, a manual of Public Protection is being completed and will be published in 2006. This document will be used as the basis of a training regime being prepared by the National Centre for Policing Excellence. We expect to have that training programme available in 2007 which will include training for supervisors.”