Exit the Polibation Officer? Decoupling Police and Probation
| Published date | 01 September 2008 |
| DOI | 10.1350/ijps.2008.10.3.86 |
| Date | 01 September 2008 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Exit the polibation officer? Decoupling
police and probation
Mike Nash
Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth, Ravelin House, Museum
Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2QQ, UK. Email: mike.nash@port.ac.uk
Received 2 May 2007; accepted 30 June 2007
Keywords: probation, probation officers, policing, UK criminal justice
Mike Nash is Reader in Criminology and Head
response to the growing multi-agency
of Department at the Institute of Criminal Justice
agenda for public protection and in particu-
Studies, University of Portsmouth. A former pro-
lar the possible effect of closer collaboration
bation officer, he has published widely on issues
between the two services on their ‘tradi-
connected with the probation service and pri-
tional’ roles. At the time I was concerned
sons in the UK.
that probation officers in particular would
lose their focus on what was considered to
be a welfare or humanitarian approach, one
ABSTRACT
of their traditional contributions to criminal
Since 1999 the pages of this journal have
justice. My reason for this was that the
periodically carried articles based on the idea of a
nature of the public protection agenda
‘polibation’ officer, or variants on that theme. The
itself, which appeared to be geared more
idea arose from the possible outcomes of increas-
towards control and surveillance, would
ingly closer collaboration between police and pro-
radically shift probation staff away from
bation services under the public protection
their focus on the welfare aspects of super-
umbrella. Eight years on it is evident that, in a
vising offenders in the community. The
variety of settings, roles have been established
polibation officer would become, I
which take individual practitioners some way
believed, the epitome of the government’s
from their roots in terms of professional practice
determination to ‘join-up’ justice. The
and culture. This article briefly revisits this process
and explores the pros and cons of fused roles. It
argument was that this was not, de facto, a
concludes with the announcement of a split in the
bad idea, more that it could have consider-
functions of the Home Office which results, at
able cultural implications for the organisa-
least on paper, in a decoupling of police and
tions involved. These will be reviewed
probation services. The future of the polibation
briefly below and brought up to date.
officer is considered in this light.
However, they will culminate in a discus-
sion of an announcement by the then
Prime Minister, Tony Blair, on 29 March
BACKGROUND
2007, to split the functions of the Home
Back in 1999 I wrote about an emerging
Office, with policing remaining in the
International Journal of Police
phenomenon, a fusion of police and proba-
Home Office (more heavily focused upon
Science and Management,
Vol. 10 No. 3, 2008, pp. 302–312.
tion roles into one entity, the ‘polibation
security) and the new Ministry of Justice
DOI: 10.1350/ijps.2008.10.3.86
officer’ (Nash, 1999). This invention was in
formed of the remaining Home Office
Page 302
Nash
functions and the Department for Constitu-
THE EMERGENCE OF THE PUBLIC
tional Affairs. It is within this context that I
PROTECTION AGENDA
wish to consider the future of the poliba-
Throughout the 1990s the public protec-
tion officer, whilst recognising other threats
tion agenda was rapidly growing in political
to what was an imagined concept which has
importance. Although a few well-publicised
become a reality, to greater or lesser extent,
cases attracted public and media attention, it
in much of the country.
was the battle between Conservative and
Multi-agency working does not of
Labour politicians that perhaps really ele-
course just concern itself with two agencies,
vated it to a position of dominating not
the police and probation services. Depend-
only criminal justice debate, but also policy
ing upon the issue to be tackled, a variety of
and practice. The increasingly unpopular
constituents will come together with a
Conservative Governments, gradually see-
common purpose, for example child pro-
ing their electoral majorities eroded, were
tection. The rationale is clear and in most
desperate by the mid 1990s, to find some-
respects above criticism. It is almost cer-
thing to distance them from the resurgent
tainly the case that any social issue will
Labour party. In a sense perhaps they
involve more than one agency; for example
believed they had found the perfect com-
health, housing, education, police, social
bination in law and order policy (an old
services and possibly probation and prisons
Tory favourite and weakness for Labour), a
in a child protection matter. The overriding
political bruiser (Michael Howard as Home
intention here is to ensure that full com-
Secretary) and the British public’s love for
munication exists between agencies
‘things American’ (the tough policies of
involved, that vital information is given,
Ronald Reagan and, later, Bill Clinton).
received and acted upon and that ongoing
The importation of American ideas was
reviews also share as much as possible. The
intended to ‘smoke out’ the ‘wets’ in the
intention is clearly to break down agency
barriers and ensure that professional jeal-
Labour Party, and bring to the surface the
ousies and territory-guarding do not get in
socialist credentials that it seemed increas-
the way of saving the life of another person.
ingly to wish to cover over. The battle-
However, there is another very important
ground gradually became that of public
aspect of multi-agency working and the
protection, personified by the predatory sex
clue is in its name. It is meant to be the
offender, and particularly by the predatory
combined knowledge and abilities of a
paedophile. There appeared to be a clear
range of relevant agencies brought together
attempt by the Conservative Government,
on one issue. In other words, the whole is
with Michael Howard in the vanguard, to
stronger than its constituent parts but its
push the members of the Opposition so far
strength arises from its constituent parts. It is
that they would eventually have to resist or
the coming together of a variety of per-
object. As the chosen battleground had
spectives on one issue that is important,
become the protection of ‘innocence’, this
rather than the elaboration of one view. It
would have been a set-and-match victory
was precisely in this area that police and
for the Conservatives. In fact the Labour
probation officers began to work much
Party did not take the bait but under its
more closely together at the beginning to
bright and ambitious shadow Home Sec-
mid 1990s and by the end of the decade
retary, Tony Blair, began to raise the stakes.
were, in my view, in danger of fusing
It accepted almost everything that was
within the area of public protection. Let us
thrown into the pot and adopted a policy of
reconsider this agenda for a moment.
not publicly opposing the Conservative
Page 303
Exit the polibation officer? Decoupling police and probation
measures. As a result, public protection
an attempt by the probation service to
ceased to be a political issue and quite
survive.
simply emerged into policies that were not
It is evident that in this tough, com-
really debated. It was within this political
petitive law and order world, the idea of
battle and eventual settlement that the
being ‘alongside the offender’, and com-
ground for significant changes in police and
mitted to his welfare, would not hold a
probation practice was laid out and led to
great deal of water. Despite a continued
the title of my earlier article.
residue of support in the House of Lords for
The salient themes of this early public
traditional probation values, the Commons
protection agenda were focused on punish-
saw a quite different attitude emerging.
ment, disproportionality in sentencing,
Here it was to be who could be toughest on
‘extra’ punishment for certain offenders and
crime that would win. As noted above, the
increased control and surveillance in the
CJA 1991 had already set the tone by
community underpinned by greater collab-
introducing the idea of punishment in the
oration between the police and probation
community and restriction of liberty. The
services. An early scene-setting example had
long-standing principle of probation dis-
been contained in the Criminal Justice Act
posals being regarded as an alternative to a
(CJA) 1991. In an Act strongly reflecting
sentence was abandoned in favour of mak-
ing them community punishments in them-
the principle of proportionality in senten-
selves. During a period where it appeared...
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