National Probation Service for England and Wales

Comments from Chief Officers and Board Chairs in the Wales areas.

The organisation of the Police Service in Wales is a matter of great importance to us because of the nature of the working partnership we enjoy and which is crucial to our responsibilities and those that we share with other organisations.There must also be awareness that any governance, structural and geographic change that impacts on the Police will in due course have potential to be reflected in the work of other criminal justice and related organisations.The key issues for us are:-1. There will be some specialist operational and 'support’ within which economies of scale can be achieved through closer sharing. Examples might include elements of serious crime investigation, and personnel/training functions.2. Police need to be able to respond to local authority strategic development and have representation in these at a level that can commit the organisation in terms of policy and resources.3. Local operations of key services need local coordination and management with partners. For Probation, these would include the Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPPA) and work in identifying and supervising/monitoring prolific and other priority offenders.4. Links to local Courts that allow for consistency of approaches and responses across areas but with sensitivity to local priorities and problems must be maintained. This speaks to the retention of a Basic Command Unit Structure that allows some local flexibility within a consistent overall framework; e.g. for coverage of Community safety Partnerships, Child Protection, Youth Offending Team management. 5. Co-terminosity with other agencies has been important for us in achieving coherent joined-up approaches to local issues in strategic and operational terms, e.g. via Local Criminal Justice Boards and Strategic Management Boards for MAPPPA.6. Current partnership arrangements work well and need to be retained.7. There is clearly logic to ensuring that, whatever structure exists for Police in Wales, that overall policing in Wales is managed within a context of the geographical and political boundaries of Wales.8. The publication shortly of the Wales Pathfinder Report will identify elements of the ongoing Reducing Reoffending Action Plan for Wales and all agencies needto be able to engage in this agenda at local (22) as well as at sub-Region (4) and all-wales level. The full implications of this and the forthcoming development of the National Offender Management Service need to be taken acount of in any changes to the working arrangements, management and Governance of Police activity in WalesStatement prepared on behalf of the Chairs and Chief Officers of North Wales, South Wales, Dyfed/Powys and Gwent.17 October 2005