Thames Valley Area

MAPPA Annual Report 2002

Contacts

National Probation Service - Thames Valley Address Phone

Chief Officer Head Office 01869 255300

Kingsclere Roadt
Bicester
Oxon
OX26 2QD

Director of Operations (As above) 01869 255300

Thames Valley Police Address Phone

Chief Constable Headquarters 01865 846000

Oxford Road
Kidlington
Oxon
OX5 2XN

Social Services and Housing

Oxfordshire County Council 01865 792422

Milton Keynes Council 01908 691691
Buckinghamshire County Council 01296 395000
Slough Borough Council 01753 552288
Royal Borough Windsor & Maidenhead 01628 798888
Bracknell Forest Council 01344 424642
Wokingham District Unitary Authority 0118 974 6000
Reading Borough Council 0118 939 0900
West Berkshire Council 01635 42400

Victim Support

Aylesbury 01296 397618

Bracknell 01344 411411
Chiltern 01494 732788
High Wycombe 01494 436486
Maidenhead/Windsor 01628 636367
Milton Keynes 01908 607989
Newbury 01635 524493/4
North Oxfordshire 01295 277990
Oxford & District 01865 751511/2
Reading 0118 958 6166
Slough 01753 535266
South Oxfordshire 01235 516840
1 Introduction

Across the Thames Valley Area the Police and

Probation Services are working closely together to
protect the public.
The enactment of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 placed
a statutory obligation on the police and allowed existing
arrangements to be consolidated and formalised.
This included agreement of written protocols to
govern joint working with respect to sex offenders and
other offenders considered to present a high risk of
harm to the public.
It also formalised the inclusion of other agencies such
as housing, social services and health into the process.
More recently, the introduction of the Criminal Justice
and Court Services Act 2000 has provided the legal
basis for these developments to be improved.
This document provides details of the arrangements
made within the Thames Valley and contact points for
any additional enquiries including agencies other than
the Police and Probation.
2 Summary of Roles and Responsibility: Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
The Police, together with the
Probation Service, are the joint lead
agencies.
On each of the Police Areas (Basic
Command Units) the local Multi
Agency Public Protection Panel
(MAPPP) process is overseen by an
officer of rank of Superintendent or
Chief Inspector. Day to day
management of each case is carried
out by suitably trained staff.
The responsibility for the
management and monitoring of each
case is therefore held locally.
An overview of the process is
retained by Assistant Chief
Constable (Operation Support) via a
comprehensive policy and guidance
document and regular reviews.
National Probation
Service - Thames Valley
The Probation Service has a
statutory responsibility to protect the
community from offenders but with a
focus on offender rehabilitation and
community sentences.
As already stated, in relation to the
MAPPP process they have the
statutory joint lead together with the
local police.
Their main role in the MAPPP
process is to provide
„ Information and intelligence
„ Expertise in assessing and
3 Outline of Arrangements Made
Across the Thames Valley Area
there are 11 localised partnerships,
managing offenders (including
offenders they may not be working
with statutorily)
Overall responsibility for ensuring a
consistent approach across the
Thames Valley lies with the Director
of Performance and Service
Delivery.
On each MAPPP the local
arrangements and case work is
overseen by a Senior Probation
Officer. Specialist case workers
manage the cases on a day today
basis.
Social Services
The two departments within Social
Services with specific responsibilities
are those covering Mental Health
and Child Protection.
Mental Health case workers can
provide the MAPPP with general
advice in relation to mental health
issues. They can also work with
offenders with mental health
problems and provide treatment and
/or detailed mental health
assessments.
The role of the Children and
Families child protection team is to
protect children from offenders
within the family and social circle.
Housing
Local Authorities have a statutory
obligation under the Housing Act
1996, and the Allocation of Housing
(England) Regulations Act 2000, to
provide housing for people who find
each responsible for the MAPPP
process in their own locality. In the
themselves homeless as long as this
has not occurred intentionally.
The role of the Housing Authority in
the Risk Management process is to
represent housing enablers (Local
Authorities) and providers (often
Housing Associations) and to
contribute information on the
offender and their housing needs.
A ‘Housing Blueprint’ is a process
which has been piloted in
Oxfordshire, by which specific
information from the MAPPP can be
shared with Housing providers in
order to facilitate the appropriate
housing of offenders subject to the
process.
It is currently being promoted as
best practice across the Thames
Valley.
Health
Health has a key role in the MAPPP
process and can make a significant
contribution particularly in the field of
mental health.
In some areas the local MAPPPs
have built successful links with local
services and are reaping the
benefits.
However, owing in part to significant
reorganisation of the National Health
Service over recent years,
consolidating these successes has
proven difficult across the Thames
Valley as a whole.
main these partnerships have their
boundaries coterminous with local
Police Areas, Local Authorities,
Probation Service Divisions etc.,
This ensures that when a MAPPP
meeting is held, those senior officers
from each agency attending are
locally accountable and have the
remit to deploy resources as
necessary.
Clearly the cases considered at a
full MAPPP meeting are those of
most significant risk to the local
community.
The following process has been
devised to ensure that the MAPPP’s
scarce resources are focused on
these cases:
„ Each MAPPP is chaired by either
a Police Superintendent or Senior
Probation Officer.
„ All attending agencies have
signed up to an information
exchange/confidentially agreement.
„ Each meeting is run via an
agenda of cases. Discussions are
minuted and action plans agreed.
These plans are subsequently
reviewed to ensure that agreed
4 Strategic Management Arrangements
The statutory lead for MAPPP lies
with the Police and Probation
Services.
Hence these two agencies form the
core of the Strategic Group. Other
members include housing, social
services and mental health
professionals.
Achieving representation across the
Thames Valley presents a significant
actions have been carried out and
the level of risk to the community in
the specific case reduced.
„ MAPPPs meet every 4 to 6 weeks
but can be convened urgently if
required.
„ The entire process is governed by
a multi-agency protocol which is
available on request.
Within the Thames Valley there is
considerable experience in good
management of these most difficult
cases.
Regular sharing of best practice
takes place. In addition the following
expertise is available locally:
a) Thames Valley Project: This is a
multi agency funded project which
provides assessment and
treatment for sex offenders
residing within the Thames Valley
Area.
Its programme is one of only
three community-based sex
offender assessment and
treatment programmes accredited
by the National Joint Accreditation
Panel.
challenge. The Police and Probation
Services are organised and
managed on an area wide basis and
are thus able to supply one strategic
member/contact point to cover the
Thames Valley.
Other agencies are more
fragmented. For example, there are
nine Social Services departments
each providing both Children &
Families and Mental Health
As such it is currently being
implemented across the south of
England.
Thames Valley Project can
provide expert advice to MAPPPs
in addition to specific treatment
and/or assessments of offenders,
including the completion of
complex specialist risk
assessments.
b) Circles of Support and
Accountability:
This is a new initiative being
piloted at four sites in the UK,
including the Thames Valley.
It allows suitably trained
volunteers to provide a circle of
support for particularly high risk
offenders to help them build an
‘offence-free’ life.
A critical part of this process is the
role of the circle in challenging
and reporting any behaviour by
the offender which indicates
possible relapse.
c) Community Based Programmes:
The Probation Area runs a
number of community based
nationally accredited programmes
for offenders tackling, for
example, domestic violence, drug
misuse and anger management.
services. Similarly Housing
Authorities are split across 16 Local
Authorities.
Significant work has been done to
devise robust consulting/contact
arrangements whilst limiting direct
representation at a strategic level to
a workable representative group.
5 Disclosure
The power to disclose information is
a significant issue for the MAPPPs.
The current protocol, policy and
guidance governing disclosure is
informed by case law and current
legislation.
The MAPPP evaluates each case
individually and decides what, if any,
information should be disclosed and
to whom.
Examples of cases discussed in the
past year include:
„ An individual employed to care for
6 Victim Work
Section 69 of the Criminal Justice
and Court Services Act 2000 places
a statutory duty on the Probation
Service to contact the victims of
serious sexual or other violent
offenders sentenced to
imprisonment of 12 months or more.
This is to offer information about the
prison system and to ask if they
wish to be consulted about release
arrangements.
The Thames Valley Victim Unit was
established by the Probation Service
on 1.5.01 and has been fully
operational across the Area since
1.10.01.
The specialist team comprises 1
Senior Probation Officer as
manager, 1 Co-ordinator and 4
Victim Contact Officers.
The staff work only with victims of
serious crime although all have
considerable experience of work
with offenders and of the prison and
probation systems.
the elderly, previously convicted for
abuse of clients. Offender had failed
to disclose this when appointed to
the role. Employers informed so
effective monitoring / preventative
strategies could be put into place.
„ Individual who offended primarily
when drunk. Risk of and
seriousness of offending was
sufficient to justify informed limited
disclosure to all publicans/off-
licences in the area to prevent
access to alcohol. This assisted the
MAPPP in managing and monitoring
the offender by limiting his options
for obtaining alcohol.
The following systems have been
set up:
„ Crown Court Notification System -
internal notification of relevant
sentences being passed.
„ Protocol with Thames Valley
Police - arrangements for obtaining
victims' addresses - working very
successfully.
„ Case Referral System - internal
arrangements for receiving relevant
case papers/offender documents.
„ Victim Support - Protocol for co-
operative working drafted and soon
to be signed off.
„ Victim Information and
Satisfaction Questionnaires -
systems designed to improve
services by:
a) finding out why victims do not
take up Victim Contact Services
and
b) seeking victims' views about the
services they receive
Victim Support
Victim Support is the national charity
„ For several offenders, with their
co-operation, detailed briefing
regarding their offence and
offending behaviour was provided to
their partner and close friends.
These individuals, supported by
professionals, were then aware of
warning signs and helped to hold
the offender to account.
„ MAPPP risk management plan for
a convicted offender who had
children attending a school included
briefing the head of the school to
allow the head to manage the risk
posed.
for people affected by crime. It is an
independent organisation, offering a
free and confidential service,
whether or not a crime has been
reported.
Trained staff and volunteers at local
branches offer information and
support to victims, witnesses, and
their family and friends.
Victim Support provides the Witness
Service based in every criminal
court in England and Wales, to offer
assistance before, during and after a
trial.
You can also call the Victim
Supportline - 0845 30 30 900 – for
information and support and details
of local services and other relevant
organisations.
Local contact numbers for Victim
Support within the Thames Valley
are included in the Agency Contact
list at the end of this report.
7 Statistical Information Number of Offenders

i. The number of registered sex offenders (RSOs) in the community on

31 March 02 (s68(2) CJ&CS Act 2000) 404

The number of RSOs per 100,000 population 19

ii The number of sex offenders having registration requirement who

were either cautioned or convicted for breaches of the requirement,
between 1 April 01 and 31 March 02 1

iii. The number of sex offender orders applied for between 1 April 01
and 31 March 02:

(a) The total number applied for 2

(b) The number granted 2

(c) The number not granted 0

(d) The number of applications still in progress 0

iv. The number of violent offenders and other sex offenders considered
under the arrangements prescribed by sections 68 (3)(4) & (5) from
1/4/01 to 31/3/02 300

• Those considered under the local multi-agency arrangements from

1/4/01 to 31/3/02 because they were assessed as posing a high risk
of serious harm to the public (but who do not fall into the categories
above). Section 67 (2) (b) 117
v. Expenditure

Staff £99,000

Probation Board £15,000

Police £66,000

Other agencies £18,000

Other £5,000

Probation Board £2,000

Police £3,000

Other agencies £0

Net £104,000

Probation Board £17,000

Police £69,000

Other agencies £18,000

Set up (included in net expenditure) £7,000

Probation Board £3,000

Police £4,000

Other agencies £0

TOTAL EXPENDITURE £104,000

Probation Board £17,000

Police £69,000

Other agencies £18,000