The role of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland working with communities has taken a significant step forward as The (Designated Organisations) Order (Northern Ireland) 2013 was approved in the NI Assembly.xa0 This means the Probation Board becomes a designated organisation on the Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPS) and will be participating on all PCSPs and District PCSPs (DPCSPs) across Northern Ireland.
Area Manager for the South and East Belfast, North Down and Ards Area, Catherine Maguire welcomed this by saying: “The Probation Board has always worked in, with and through communities in Northern Ireland working at every stage of the criminal justice process – at court, in the community, in prisons and with victims of crime. We have experience in understanding why people offend, reducing reoffending and preventing people becoming victims of crime.xa0 PBNI supervises 4,300 people on any given day, write over 10,000 reports each year for the courts and last year delivered around 190,000 hours of unpaid work through community service.xa0 On top of this we also provide £1 million in community grants annually to assist the reduction of reoffending. We have extensive experience of partnership working with statutory, community, voluntary and private sector organisations to help
reduce offending and make communities safer.xa0 We know that to be truly effective in reducing crime it takes more than any one agency.xa0 That is why we play a key role in the Public Protection Arrangements and why we are involved in the Reducing Offending in Partnership project. PCSPs continue this partnership approach along with otherxa0criminal justice organisations, communities and all those with an interest in reducing crime and protecting the public.
Probation Officers are highly skilled, qualified in social work and maintain continual professional development.xa0 Their approach to problem solving, communicating with hard to reach groups, and bringing about lasting change will be a valuable resource for PCSPs.
PBNI looks forward to working in partnership on the Down, Castlereagh, North Down, Ards PCSPs and the South Belfast and East Belfast DPCSPs”]]>
