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.