CO-LOCATION SET TO HELP TURN OFFENDERS LIVES AROUND

Historically, prolific offenders lead chaotic lifestyles finding themselves committing crime often to fund drug and alcohol addictions, relocating to different areas and moving in and out of the criminal justice system.

To tackle this group of people, the Government established the Prolific and other Priority Offender (PPO) Scheme to get criminal justice agencies and partner organisations working together to help turn around the lives of offenders who cause the most harm to local communities. 

Locally, several protocols have been implemented to allow information to be exchanged freely but with so many agencies involved, based at different locations across the county, essential face-to-face communication isn’t always possible.

In response to this, on 1 February, the Probation Service Substance Misuse Team moved from its current base at Brimington Road, Chesterfield to the premises of the Derbyshire Mental Health Trust (MHT) Drug Treatment service at Bay Heath House, Rose Hill, Chesterfield.

The new team will work closely with the Unity Derbyshire Treatment Service (Addaction and the MHT) including the PPO drug workers and the staff delivering the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP).

The multi-agency co-location exercise will enhance working relationships allowing the teams to jointly tackle offending behaviour and substance misuse. Client information relating to PPOs in treatment and other criminal justice clients including those serving Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (DRRs) as part of a community sentence imposed by the courts can be exchanged more easily on a daily basis.

In addition, the move will enable three-way interviews (probation, drugs and offender) to take place and offer joint offender group work opportunities between agencies benefiting not only the organisations involved but also the offender, allowing vital treatment services and community order requirements to be accessed under one roof.

Paul Kenny, Senior Probation Officer who will be heading up the criminal justice team commented:

“The co-location will provide further and more enhanced opportunities for key agencies working with prolific offenders to help leave behind a path of offending and look towards a crime free future.

“By engaging the offenders with drug treatment services, we can help reduce their offending behaviour which in turn will have a positive effect on the communities where they live.”   

Denise White, Chair of Derbyshire Criminal Justice Board commented:

“The PPO Scheme is an excellent example of criminal justice agencies working together for the benefit of local communities. In addition, the co-location will help to achieve one of the Board’s targets in making the criminal justice system, together with key partners, more efficient and effective.”