Lancashire probation service fails to keep the public safe

Lancashire probation service has been told it is not doing enough to protect the public

The probation service in Lancashire is failing to tackle re-offending and keep the public safe, inspectors have found.

The Cumbria and Lancashire Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) – which is privately run and provides probation services in the area – has been ordered to improve after a damning report said offenders were not being properly supervised.

HM Inspectorate of Probation praised staff and said the CRC was “well led and has a clear strategy” but warned of a “serious shortage of qualified staff to handle higher risk of harm

cases”.

The organisation was given an overall rating of “requires improvement”. In 2017, inspectors found the CRC to be “good” overall with some exemplary practices.

Chief inspector of probation Dame Glenys Stacey said: “Our inspection found poor practices that frequently failed to tackle offending or protect the public. Greater attention should have been paid to protecting actual and potential victims.”

Dame Glenys added: “There is much to do. Leaders need to make better efforts to deliver the improvements that must now follow.”

The CRC is one of six owned by Sodexo, a multinational private company, which disputed the findings.

Trevor Shortt, director of community operations at Sodexo, said the CRC was performing “in line” with others.

He added: “HMIP’s previous inspection in 2017 concluded that the Cumbria and Lancashire CRC was delivering some of the best work in the country. We have further invested in and developed the CRC since then and do not recognise the organisation described by the inspectorate in this report.

“Reducing re-offending and protecting the public remain our key priorities.”

“We will be responding in full to the inspector on the recommendations made in due course.”