Court staff back probation officers
COURT staff have vowed to stand "side by side" with probation officers as they fight to keep their jobs.
As previously reported, 60 jobs are likely to go at Humberside Probation Trust – 13 per cent of the workforce – because of a £2m budget cut by the Government.
Today's pledge of support by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) for court staff and the Humber division for magistrates' courts was welcomed by union officials.
They believe crime will soar and the public will be put at risk if the cuts go ahead.
Helen Burton, of Unison, said: "I think it's fantastic we have the backing of many court staff.
"People are obviously now seeing the wider picture. This is not just about redundancies, it's about public safety."
Probation officers supervise criminals, including the most serious offenders.
They also work closely with the courts to prepare reports on offenders, to help with sentencing.
Alex Leach, who works for the Crown Prosecution Service in Hull, spoke on behalf of the union.
He said: "We believe cuts to the probation service can only harm the service to the public and this can only raise the rate of reoffending.
"As colleagues within the justice sector, we see firsthand the good work the probation service does.
"We fear it will only be a matter of time before a serious offender is released into the community without adequate supervision. Make no mistake, the threat of a rapist or a paedophile slipping through the net will become very real.
"We are proud to stand side by side with our brothers and sisters in the unions to fight these savage cuts and encourage the community to do the same."
The magistrates' courts added their support to the probation officers.
Philip Houlden, justice's clerk for the Humber division of magistrates courts, said: "It is the probation service that provides magistrates with positive alternatives to custodial sentences and, if there is a loss of frontline staff, the magistrates will be very, very concerned about that."
Probation staff are based at courts, prisons and offices in Beverley, Hull, Goole and Bridlington.
A 30-day consultation period began last week into the redundancies and the final decision will be made by early summer.
2 Comments
by Bimty, Right here
Friday, April 03 2009, 8:54AM
“Everyone is losing their jobs at the moment, thats life, get used to it. The bosses must think that the service is overstaffed at the moment or they wouldn't make cuts. We are all suffering but sadly not all of us have the backing of others and have to fight for our jobs/livelihoods on our own!”
by Unconcerned, Cottingham
Friday, April 03 2009, 8:25AM
“Given the amount of actual contact time most Probation Officers spend with their clients, i doubt the proposed job cuts will have little effect on local crime. It will not be until other local agencies, including voluntary establishments face job cuts that we WILL see a significant impact on crime rates as it is these service providers who are now largely responsible for the supervision of offenders in the community.”