North Yorkshire’s probation service, police and prisons today welcomed the publication of the area’s Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) annual report.
MAPPA teams in England and Wales were put in place eight years ago to provide more robust management systems for those offenders who live in our communities through the sharing of information and expertise. The teams, comprising of police, prison, probation and other relevant agencies ensure joint working and enhanced communication to effectively manage risk to the public.
The annual report shows a low level of serious re-offending and, just as importantly, it gives a clear context to what it actually means in practice to work with these offenders. The report demonstrates how the MAPPA process of identification, assessment and management of sexual and violent offenders is achieved by applying a structured approach, from prison through to supervision and monitoring in the community.
Mr Tim Madgwick, Assistant Chief Constable, North Yorkshire Police, and current temporary Chair of the MAPPA Strategic Management Board, comments: “Since the arrangements started operating in 2001 MAPPA has gone from strength to strength, but we can never be complacent. Serious sexual and violent offending makes up only a very small proportion of all reported crime, but every case is one too many and the challenge for us all is not only to reduce offending, but to reduce the harm to victims when such offending does occur.
“Our priority is to protect communities in North Yorkshire and I believe that the public of North Yorkshire should draw confidence from the report that sex offenders and potentially dangerous persons in our communities are being properly managed and supervised, making North Yorkshire and the City of York one of the safest places to live.”
Publishing the eighth MAPPA annual reports, Justice Minister Maria Eagle said: “The offenders dealt with under MAPPA can display extremely dangerous and unpredictable behaviour so the risk of further offences is ever present. That risk can never be eliminated entirely, but the majority of those subject to active MAPPA management do not seriously re-offend due to robust and effective management.
"MAPPA continue to develop and this year saw the issue of revised, extensive national MAPPA guidance to enhance consistency and accountability and the launch of a national MAPPA training manual to ensure that learning is embedded in public protection practice. We have also made significant changes to legislation in recent years to enhance public protection, including the sentence of imprisonment for public protection which ensures that certain offenders are not released until the Parole Board determines that it is safe to do so.”
There are more offenders on the sexual offenders register which means more offenders subject by law to notification requirements and therefore being monitored by the police and other agencies.
In 2008, the Home Office began pilots to increase the amount of information about particular child sex offenders that is shared with the public. People can request information about an individual who has contact with their children. These pilots took place in four police areas and ended in September 2009.
The pilots will now be evaluated with a view to considering a national roll out. Regardless of the outcome of that evaluation, there is a requirement in all cases of MAPPA-eligible offenders to consider, as a part of every review of the case, whether there is a need to disclose information about the offender. Information will be disclosed where this is required by the risk management plan.
The Ministry of Justice is now piloting mandatory polygraph tests for sex offenders in the community. The tests will help us determine whether the polygraph can be a useful additional tool in the management of sex offenders. It will be used alongside other processes in place to manage these offenders. The legislation was introduced in the 2007 Offender Management Act which enabled the pilot to be carried out on a mandatory basis for sex offenders subject to licence release from prison.
Pete Brown, Chief Officer, North Yorkshire Probation Area and in-coming Chair for 2010 said: “Public protection remains an immensely challenging area of work and we acknowledge the commitment of professionals across a wide range of disciplines who work together in ensuring public safety.
“This report, like those in previous years, demonstrates the positive working relationships that exist between all agencies that together make up the MAPPA structure. Communities in North Yorkshire and the City of York should feel confident and reassured that through our strong partnerships approach and stringent management of offenders; we are reducing crime and making North Yorkshire a safer place.”
A copy of North Yorkshire’s Annual Report is available by logging onto www.mappayorkandnorthyorkshire.org.uk
