NORTH WALES PROBATION WORKERS FEAR STRUGGLE

PROBATION officers in North Wales fear they will struggle to cope with
the number of criminals living in the community if their budget is not
increased next year.

With jails overflowing, pressure is being placed on judges and
magistrates to impose more community penalties.,

But last night it emerged the North Wales Probation Service is
considering a shake up and job cuts have not been ruled out.

One officer, who asked not to be identified, said: "There's an
overspend this financial year.

"This isn't a lot but with no budget increase there is a review of
staffing and services going on which is affecting morale.

"Everyone in the service is working flat out to cope with the ever
increasing workload. Judges and magistrates hand community penalties
instead of prison and that's probably better for the offender in the
long term, but instead of providing the necessary funding the
government is determined to cut spending even further."

Probation officers supervise offenders doing unpaid work in the
community or taking courses designed to address problems such as drug
or alcohol abuse.

They also supervise offenders released from prison under
licence.

"Its a huge workload ... and budget cuts aren't making it any easier,"
the officer added.

A spokesman for the Howard League, which campaigns for penal reform,
said the jail population in England and Wales last Friday stood at
81,454, with 197 in police cells.

He said: "This is just 93 below the all-time high recorded just a week
earlier, and only 300 short of capacity.

"Our probation system is the envy of the world, yet it now faces
meltdown. The Treasury has ordered cuts in the probation budget over
the next three years.

"Maybe we should take the funds for the 9,500 new prison places
planned by the Government and invest that money in the probation
service instead.

"Community sentences work. Unlike prison, they can reduce crime and
stop people reoffending. They also save the taxpayer money. And they
are the only credible alternative to the current prison crisis."

A North Wales Probation Service spokesman said: "We are currently
consulting staff throughout the area with a view to reconfiguring
parts of the service so we can safeguard our frontline operation.

"The views of our staff will form an important part of our
deliberations, but no decisions will be made until January.

"We have been told that, as with the rest of the public sector,
national funding for the Probation Service is going to be very tight
for the next three years."