Probation

Circular

PROLIFIC AND OTHER PRIORITY REFERENCE NO:

OFFENDERS (PPOS): SUMMARY OF 79/2005

ACTIONS AND MONITORING ISSUE DATE:

ARRANGEMENTS 1 November 2005

PURPOSE IMPLEMENTATION DATE:

1. To ensure Areas receive a copy of the ‘PPO Premium Service’ document Immediate
2. To remind Areas of specific actions they are required to take for PPOs
3. To clarify monitoring arrangements EXPIRY DATE:
4. To invite Area representation on a national reference group for PPOs
5. To seek comment on the proposed NPD guidance on ‘intensive’ community November 2010
orders.
TO:
ACTION Chairs of Probation Boards
Chief Officers distribute to all relevant staff. In addition COs should:
Chief Officers of Probation
• Ensure the ‘Premium Service’ document is followed and that probation-
specific actions required by NPD are carried out Secretaries of Probation Boards
• Return monitoring data as required
• Contact NPD to request J-Track print-outs if required CC:
• Return the pro-forma if nominating staff for the national reference group Board Treasurers
• Comment on the proposed guidance for ‘intensive’ orders Regional Managers

SUMMARY
All agencies in the criminal justice system are required to deliver a ‘premium AUTHORISED BY:
service’ to offenders defined as PPOs by their local Crime and Disorder Claire Wiggins, Intensive
Reduction Partnership. The ‘PPO Premium Service’ document specifies the roles Interventions
of different agencies including NOMS in delivering a premium service. Paris Mikkides, Performance &
Probation Areas have been required to implement specific interventions and Planning
guidance in support of the PPO strategy. This PC reminds Areas of these
requirements. Attached guidance gives more detail on monitoring arrangements ATTACHED:
and also gives some feedback on performance to date.
NPD is establishing a national reference group to support Areas with Annex A: Premium Service
implementing the PPO strategy. Annex B: Monitoring of PPOs
Annex C: Terms of Reference for
RELEVANT PREVIOUS PROBATION CIRCULARS the National Reference Group
PC132/2001; PC144/2001; PC70/2003; PC16/05;PC28/2004; PC39/2004; Annex D: Nomination form for the
PC42/2004; PC3/05; PC16/05;PC33A/05; PC34/05; PC51/05;PC55/2004; Reference Group
PC56/2004

CONTACT FOR ENQUIRIES

For monitoring enquiries: ed.stradling@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk 0207 217 0758
For general enquiries and support to Areas relating to the PPO strategy:
peter.pettit@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk 0207 035 0141
For drug testing of PPOs on licence: robin.brennan@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
0207 217 0916
Re the draft guidance issued at the two PPO workshops and to nominate staff for
the PPO reference group ed.griffin@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk 0207 217 0760

National Probation Directorate

Horseferry House, Dean Ryle Street, London, SW1P 2AW
1. DELIVERING A PREMIUM SERVICE TO PPOs

1.1 The PPO Premium Service Document

The ‘PPO Premium Service’ document has been approved by the National Criminal Justice Board and the
PPO Programme Board. It is a national specification of what action should be taken by all the criminal justice
agencies to ensure PPOs are given a premium service at each stage of the criminal justice system. It therefore
provides a framework for Local Criminal Justice Boards to hold local agencies to account.

1.2 Identifying and communicating PPO status

The Premium Service sets out NOMS responsibilities for communicating PPO status to other criminal justice
agencies. NOMS’ responsibilities are summarised on Pages 25 – 28. Some Areas have however reported
difficulties in finding out PPO status at a sufficiently early stage in criminal justice proceedings. Areas are
reminded that they should have an active input into the process of identifying PPOs and not leave this to the
police or other agencies. Areas need to work with their local partners, their CDRP and their LCJB to resolve
this issue. As an interim measure, NPD can provide Areas with weekly print-outs of PPOs, as recorded on J-
Track. Areas can use this list in any way which supports local processes. (For example, administrative or
court-based staff could check PSR requests against the J-Track print-out.)

Areas who would like to receive a weekly J-Track print out from NPD should e-mail Ed Stradling.

2. SPECIFIC ACTIONS REQUIRED

a) Consider proposing additional licence conditions in all post-custodial licences for PPOs (PC 56/2004)
b) Introduce drug testing for PPOs released on licence (PC 56/2004, PC 16/2005, PC 34/2005 and
PC72/2005)
c) Follow guidance in PC 51/2004 and PC 33A /2005 when preparing PSRs on PPOs and ensure PPOs are
not identified as such in reports
d) Ensure that PPOs who are in the highest seriousness band for a community sentence are proposed for an
intensive community order (PC 56/2005)

3. MONITORING ARRANGEMENTS

Guidance attached as Annex B to this PC clarifies these and gives a summary of performance to date.

4. NATIONAL REFERENCE GROUP FOR PPOs

NPD is establishing a national reference group to support Areas with implementing the PPO strategy. It is
envisaged that this group will meet quarterly to review progress, share best practice and identify and resolve
problems. Areas wishing to nominate staff should complete the attached form at Annex D. Representation
should be equivalent to ACO or SPO level and be probation staff or partner staff who can deal effectively with
probation issues. The aim is to secure some representation from each region. The selection of nominees will
be based on this criterion. Areas may wish to make a single nomination for the whole region. Nominations
should be returned to Ed Griffin at NPD by 30th November 2005.

PC79/2005 – Prolific and other Priority Offenders (PPOs): Summary of Actions and Monitoring Arrangements 2
 Prolific and Other Priority
Offender Strategy
Premium Service
National Premium Service Specification

Version 1.0
th
Date 19 August 2005
Author Catherine Lee, Kirsty Wildgoose
Distribution NCJB; LCJB chairs; agency practitioners

For further information please contact

LCJBComms@cjs.gsi.gov.uk
 Contents

1. PPO Premium Service ........................................................................ 3

1.1 Introduction ................................................................................... 3
1.2 What is a Premium Service? ......................................................... 4
1.3 PPO volumes ................................................................................ 4
1.4 Scope ............................................................................................ 5
1.5 Implementation, governance and performance management....... 5
1.6 Sources for the Premium Service Specification ............................ 8
1.7 Review…………………………………………………………………7
2. Overview of the PPO Premium Service .............................................. 9
2.1 Stages of the Premium Services ................................................... 9
2.2 Structure of the document............................................................. 9
3. Identification of PPOs and general information sharing……………..10
4. Guidance for the Police ................................................................. 13
4.1 Targeting and Intelligence ........................................................... 13
4.1.1 Intelligence-led identification of PPOs .................................. 13
4.1.2 Targeting activities................................................................ 14
4.2 Patrol........................................................................................... 14
4.3 Investigation ................................................................................ 15
4.4 Charging and Case Preparation.................................................. 15
4.5 Enforcement................................................................................ 18
5. Guidance for the Crown Prosecution Service ................................... 19
5.1 Charging and Case Preparation.................................................. 19
5.2 Court Process ............................................................................. 19
5.3 Performance monitoring.............................................................. 21
6. Guidance for HM Courts Service ...................................................... 22
6.1 Court Processes.......................................................................... 22
6.2 Listing.......................................................................................... 22
6.3 Sentencing and other decisions ................................................. 23
6.4 Enforcement hearings ................................................................. 24
7 Guidance for National Offender Management Service (NOMS).... 25
7.1 Identification ................................................................................ 25
7.2 Court processes .......................................................................... 26
7.3 Interventions - community ........................................................... 26
7.4 Interventions – custody ............................................................... 27
7.5 Information sharing ..................................................................... 27
7.6 Enforcement................................................................................ 28
7.7 Performance monitoring.............................................................. 28
8. Guidance for Youth Offending Teams ........................................... 30
8.1 Identification ................................................................................ 30
8.2 Court processes .......................................................................... 30
8.3 Interventions................................................................................ 30
8.4 Enforcement ........................................................................... 31
8.5 Performance monitoring.............................................................. 31

Page 2 of 31
 1. PPO Premium Service

1.1 Introduction

The Prolific and other Priority Offender (PPO) Strategy was launched by
the Prime Minister in March 2004 as a way of targeting offenders who
commit the most crime and those who cause the most harm to local
communities.

The strategy is in three complementary parts designed to tackle both

prolific offending and its roots, comprising:

• Prevent and Deter – to stop young people entering the pool of

prolific offenders;
• Catch and Convict - actively tackling those who are already prolific
offenders; and
• Rehabilitate and Resettle – working to increase the number of such
offenders who stop offending by offering a range of supportive
interventions.

The Home Office issued national guidance in July and September 2004
on implementation of the PPO Strategy. The approach of the guidance
was to provide a framework, within which Crime and Disorder Reduction
Partnerships / Community Safety Partnerships (CDRP/CSPs) could
shape local schemes.

However, the expectation of the guidance was that local agencies would
agree a premium service for the management of PPOs, building on the
experience of providing a premium service for previous initiatives such
as Street Crime and the predecessor to the PPO strategy, the
Persistent Offender scheme.

Responsibility for the provision of a premium service and its promotion

to PPO schemes rests with Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs).

This document defines a specification for the premium service,

approved by the National Criminal Justice Board (NCJB) and the PPO
Programme Board, to provide:

• a clear and consistent set of requirements for the premium service

in Criminal Justice Areas
• a common framework for CJA-organised agencies that must operate
across multiple local PPO schemes led by CDRPs / CSPs.
• examples of emerging good practice
• and a basis for LCJBs to hold local agencies to account, and in the
case of the police, police authorities, for their compliance with the
ambition of providing a premium service.

Page 3 of 31
 The premium service is expected to be developed further and updated
as new good practice comes to light, or to take account of future policy
changes.

1.2 What is a Premium Service?

The aim of a Premium Service is to ensure that the CJS can bring a
clear and consistent approach to prioritising effort and resource on
tackling priority groups of offenders.

In the past premium services have been developed for the Persistent
Offender scheme (which was a precursor to the PPO initiative) and the
Street Crime Initiative. This specification builds on the learning from
those initiatives.

Ultimately, the expectation of the NCJB is that there should be a

national CJS premium service that could readily be deployed for any
group identified as a priority for the CJS.

‘Premium’ could take a number of forms:

• Faster processing – dealing with offenders quickly in order to

accelerate the application of control or the provision of positive
rehabilitative interventions
• Prioritisation of resources – although there are no resources tied
to the PPO strategy from the centre, there is scope for re-prioritising
resources locally to provide preferential access to programmes or
deploy more experienced/ specialist staff to increase the prospects
of securing the desired outcome.
• Enhanced quality standards – for example covering more frequent
supervisory contacts with offenders or enhanced assurance /
decision making processes.
• Increased multi-agency collaboration – effective delivery of the
PPO programme requires the engagement and active participation
of the Police, CPS, HMCS, NOMS, Yots and other partners, outside
the CJS, as appropriate.

All these aspects are reflected in the Premium Service Specification. In

some cases there may be tensions between speed and quality of
processing, in which case operational staff will need to apply their
judgement about the prioritisation in the individual case.

1.3 PPO volumes

There are currently about 10,000 PPOs across England and Wales, of
whom only about 75% are in the criminal justice system. Compared to
the overall volume of business, the number of PPO cases in the CJS at
any one time is not significant.

Page 4 of 31
 It is estimated that about 25 PPOs are charged per day, and that there
about 2000 going through the system from arrest to sentence at any
one time. This means that, on average, there will be 3 or 4 PPOs to
monitor per criminal court. In addition there are a further 3500 in
custody.

As such, given the benefits of ensuring that such cases are dealt with
effectively, the NCJB considers that it is practical for PPO cases to be
given an enhanced service by all agencies.

1.4 Scope

This specification covers the Catch and Convict strand and those parts
of the Rehabilitate and Resettle strand that are delivered by criminal
justice agencies. In due course the intention is to extend it to cover the
Prevent and Deter strand, and potentially, to incorporate the
contribution of non-CJS agencies to the Rehabilitate and Resettle
strand.

The premium service does not extend to judicial decision-making.

It is also constrained by the current framework of powers and policies

and, in keeping with the mainstreaming ethos of the PPO strategy,
builds on existing initiatives to redesign parts of the criminal justice
process that define a premium service – such as the Criminal Case
Management Programme (CCMP) and the Drugs Intervention
Programme (DIP).

The added value for PPOs may be to ensure that all PPOs are included
within the enhanced levels of service, if the service is otherwise
restricted (e.g. to those who have committed particular offences).

1.5 Implementation, governance and performance management

This specification sets out a realistic yet challenging set of standards

that areas should be achieving, based on a mix of mandatory standards
and current practice in individual areas. It also includes examples of
good practice that offer ideas for further development of local schemes.

The NCJB recognises that:

• not all areas will yet be achieving all of the specification
• there may be situations in which pressing operational circumstances
mean that certain aspects of the premium service cannot be
provided.

Accordingly, the expectation is that all areas will be compliant with the
Premium Service by the end of March 2006 at the latest. This allows
time for those areas that have already developed a local premium
service protocol to review their local approach and revise as necessary.

Page 5 of 31
 However, those areas that are still developing their premium service
arrangements will be expected to take account of and implement the
national specification earlier, by the end of December 2005.

LCJBs will be responsible for ensuring that agencies are clear about the
requirements of the specification and are delivering a distinctive
Premium Service in their area. Precise governance arrangements can
be determined locally but will need to:

• comply with the requirements of the single LCJB delivery planning

process;
• reflect individual agencies’ performance management arrangements
in respect of those elements embedded in their own business plans;

Page 6 of 31
 GOOD PRACTICE: GOVERNANCE MODELS

Accountability for ensuring that a functioning PPO premium service exists rests with
LCJBs. However, Government Offices are responsible for ensuring effective PPO
schemes are in place in local areas and CDRPs are responsible for operating PPO
Schemes on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, governance arrangements for the
delivery of PPO premium service require committed and active engagement at
LCJB, GO and CDRP level, and clarity about respective roles and responsibilities,
supported by effective communication and coordination over PPO strategy,
operations and performance. Effective governance structures for implementing the
PPO strategy are developing in many areas, and provide a sound basis on which to
build performance monitoring of PPO premium service.

In Greater Manchester, overlapping membership of boards at area and district

CDRP levels ensures that mutually supportive strategies are developed and that
PPO strategy is monitored at LCJB level. At the area level, for example, one of the
Local Authority Chief Executives chairs a CDRP Steering Group and sits on the
LCJB, providing a single point of contact and coordination between the activities of
the two. At the district level, there are 10 Local Criminal Justice Groups (LCJGs)
monitoring the delivery of LCJB priorities locally in coordination with CDRPs. Local
Authority chief executives sit on the LCJG’s with the LCJG chair (police divisional
commander) also chairing the local CDRP. This ensures joint coordination of PPO
activity at CDRP and local delivery group level.

Similar approaches in Leicestershire have been developed to connect LCJB PPO

priorities with local delivery. The Area’s PPO Steering Group has representation
from an Assistant Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Probation Officer who link
into the LCJB, and the regular agenda includes reporting on the performance of
local PPO Schemes by local operational managers. Local PPO Schemes have also
recently instituted four CDRP-based Local Offender Management Panels (LOMPs),
chaired by local Chief Inspectors for Crime, in order to report to CDRPs on the
progress of PPO cases and to address local PPO crime trends. They meet monthly
to review the progress of the CDRP’s PPO population as a whole, and are currently
developing a performance framework to monitor PPO re-offending and progress
through the criminal justice system.

• make links with regional Reducing Re-offending Partnerships (or

equivalent bodies) overseeing improvements in resettlement and
rehabilitation provision within the framework of the National
Reducing Re-offending Plan;
• ensure access to PPO scheme level performance data from the
PPO performance management framework, including the self-
assessment process being coordinated by Government Offices,
which is to be rolled out over the Summer 2005.

Page 7 of 31
1.6 Sources for the Premium Service Specification

This specification has been derived from:

• Home Office guidance on the PPO initiative

• Other relevant CJS guidance
• Discussions with a range of practitioners, drawn from all the main
agencies, across ten local areas
• Scrutiny of local Premium Service protocols in a number of areas
• Lessons from previous premium service initiatives
• Further testing with practitioners and policy makers.

1.7 Review

It is inevitable that there will be changes in the policies and procedures

that underpin this specification as well as further learning about what
constitutes effective practice.

The NCJB will ask the OCJR to carry out periodic reviews of the
national specification to ensure that it remains relevant and appropriate.
This will have implications for local agreements, but LCJBs should in
any case be subjecting their own agreements to periodic review to
ensure that they are maximising effectiveness.
 2. Overview of the PPO Premium Service

2.1 Stages of the Premium Services

The specification is organised around the key stages a PPO would go

through in the Criminal Justice System:

Targeting Charging
Court Interventions Enforcement
Identification and and Case
Process
Investigation Preparation

Management of Cases and Information Sharing

2.2 Structure of the document

Section 3 summarises the arrangements that should be in place for the

identification of PPOs and information sharing between agencies. It also
describes the role that should be played by CDRPs and CSPs in the
premium service.

The remainder of this document is then structured around the

requirements for individual agencies:

• Police
• Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
• HM Courts Service (HMCS)
• National Offender Management Service (NOMS) covering the
National Probation Service (NPS) and HM Prison Service (HMPS)
• Youth Offending Teams (Yots)

2.3 Summary of the Premium Service

The diagram on the next page represents a summary of the premium

service, showing where the contribution of the different agencies falls
and how the different contributions fit together to deliver the overall
ambition.

It is not a comprehensive view of all the requirements on agencies – for

which the remainder of this document is required.

Page 9 of 31
Page 10 of 31
Identification
All • Identification based on the National Intelligence Model together with information from other agencies. The list should be shared with all relevant agencies.
• All agencies should determine robust arrangements for flagging cases through their own systems and processes.
agencies • A multi-agency case management process should determine strategy for individual PPOs, monitor progress and ensure information is shared between agencies.
• Information sharing protocols should be in place.
• Flag PPOs on force
intelligence, custody and
administrative systems,
Police JTrack and PNC.
• Ensure custody officers are
briefed and can flag PPO
cases
• Flag PPOs on Compass and
case file documents
CPS
• Flag PPOs on Court outcome
documents (warrants, orders)
• Rapid communication of
HMCS outcomes (Bail within 24 hrs)
• Flag on CRAMS or other
community case management
systems
• Flag on LIDS in custody
NOMS • Notify home agencies at least
28 days in advance of release
(including HDC/ROTL)
• Flag on case management
systems
Yots
Targeting
and
Investigation
• Robust intelligence
packages
• Comprehensive targeting
plans feeding into tasking
and coordination process
• Comprehensive
investigative strategy
Charging
and Case
Preparation
• NFA decisions following
arrest require approval
• Drug testing on arrest
whenever appropriate
• Maximise TICs
• Presume no police bail
• Full history shared
• Hiqh quality case-building
• Use of statutory charging
scheme
• NFA, charge reduction or
discontinuance decisions
should be referred for advice
Court
Process
• Joint evaluation of
outcomes under PTPM
• Apply Criminal Case
Management Framework
• Enhanced case review
• PPO results on JTrack within
7 days
• PYO procedures for
youth PPOs
• Fast track listing for PPOs
pleading or found guilty
• Rapid listing of not guilty cases
subject to other demands
• Arrangements for rapid
communication of results
• Full case history in PSRs
• Seek to prioritise for intensive
supervision requirements
• PYO procedures for PPOs
• Full case history in PSRs
Interventions
• Experienced Offender
Manager appointed
• Rapid completion of training
plans based where possible
on full OASys assessment
• Priority access to appropriate
programmes.
• Experienced supervisor
• Access to ISSP if eligible;
equivalent rigour and
intensity if ineligible
• Training plans completed
within 5 days of sentence
• Priority access to
appropriate programmes
Enforcement
• Prioritisation of warrant
execution (Category A)
• Input to HDC decisions and
license conditions
• Notify police of FTA
warrants
within 1 working day
• Prioritisation of PPO
• community order breaches
and outstanding fines/
compensation payments
• Rigorous enforcement of
community orders
• Fast-tracking of enforcement
/ recall process
• Rigorous enforcement of
community orders with fast-
tracking of breach where
appropriate
3. Identification of PPOs and general information sharing

CDRPs and CSPs were required to take the lead in ensuring that PPO
schemes were set up in each area, within a framework determined by
LCJBs. In particular this covered the process for identifying the original
list of PPOs for that area.

As partnership bodies, featuring representatives of many of the key

agencies, they also provide a forum for ensuring the continued
coordination between agencies, on which the PPO strategy depends.

3.1 Identification

• The process for identifying PPOs should be based on the police

National Intelligence Model but should also take account of
information from other sources such as probation and Yots.

• It is essential that the list of PPOs is communicated to all relevant

agencies. JTrack provides one important mechanism for this and
needs to be updated in a regular and timely fashion by agencies
with access to it, in accordance with the data recording standards. It
is also critical that each agency determines robust arrangements for
flagging PPO cases within its own operational processes.

GOOD PRACTICE: FLAGGING

Flagging PPOs on case files and information systems is key to ensuring that a
premium service can be provided throughout the system. Ensuring that all staff
and all agencies achieve a continuity of focus on PPOs as they pass through the
system has proved a challenge in many areas and prompted a range of
solutions.

The West Midlands LCJB set up a Flagging Task Group to improve their flagging
of PPO cases. The group undertook an audit and found that:
• the most effective way of flagging PPO cases was on the charging form, the
MG4, because it is used by each agency (police, CPS, courts, probation,
prisons) as the offender progresses through the criminal justice system.
• but no single solution was sufficient, so the task force also identified a set of
actions for individual agencies to ensure cases were flagged successfully, as
described below, constituting a useful guide for other areas.
Agency Action
Police • Flag PPO status on the MG4 form with pre-printed
marker or “PPO Premium Service” stamp
• Flag PPO status on PNC using LX marker
• Register PPO on JTrack
CPS • Flag advance disclosure documents
• Flag PPO status on internal information systems
• Update JTrack with PPO case results
Courts • Stamping of all court orders for probation and Yots
with “PPO Premium Service” stamp
 3.2 Case Management and Information Sharing

• At the heart of the PPO model is some form of multi-agency case

management process that determines the strategy in relation to
individual PPOs and monitors progress. CDRPs / CSPs should
ensure that the right agencies are represented and that procedures
existing for sharing information with those who cannot attend.

• To support this, it is a responsibility of the CDRP / CSP to ensure

that appropriate information sharing protocols have been signed
between relevant agencies.

GOOD PRACTICE: INFORMATION COORDINATION AND COMMUNCIATION

In Lancashire, Leicestershire, Thames Valley, West Midlands and West Yorkshire,
PPO teams have dedicated people devoted to the task of information coordination
and exchange on PPO cases. This role significantly enhances the flow of
information between agencies and was believed to improve the effectiveness of
PPO premium service activities. The role included:
• Coordinating intelligence profiles based on multi-agency information for
regular dissemination to multi-agency partners.
• Keeping a running list of where particular PPOs are in the criminal justice
system (community, custody, court process).
• Liaising with courts and prisons on important day-to-day and longer- term
information (bail decisions, sentences, prison release dates) and
disseminating this information to multi-agency partners.

3.3 PPO Scheme self-assessment

• Individual PPO schemes will be requested to oversee periodic self-

assessment exercises, at the request of the Government Office.
They should ensure that this includes testing agencies’ compliance
with the Premium Service and the results should be passed to the
LCJB for that area, who have the responsibility for the premium
service across the criminal justice area.

3.4 PPO Champions

• Each agency should designate a senior officer to be responsible for

the premium service in their agency.

Page 12 of 31
 4. Guidance for the Police

The police have a critical role to play in delivering the Catch and Convict
elements of the PPO premium service by working with other agencies to
identify and agree PPOs, proactively target them, and bring them to
justice through high quality investigation, rigorous warrant enforcement
and ensuring file quality in the progression of PPO cases through the
criminal justice system. Although LCJBs are responsible for the
Premium Service, Chief Officers may also want to discuss the PPO
Strategy with their police authority. Police authorities will wish to ensure
consistency with other local policing priorities, agree allocation of
resources to the strategy and put in place appropriate performance
monitoring arrangements.

Targeting prolific offenders is an integral part of intelligence-led policing

and supports police aims and objectives to reduce crime, improve
sanction detection rates and the number of offences brought to justice,
and increase public confidence.

All forces should ensure they have a comprehensive strategy in place

for making their contribution to the PPO strategy, including appropriate
supervisory oversight of PPO cases and development of robust
targeting, investigative and case management plans that consider the
full range of tactical options. Its effectiveness should be assessed as
part of a force’s internal performance management and compliance
arrangements.

The police should also ensure that they are represented at strategic
CJA-level PPO meetings and operational CDRP-level meetings. At
operational-level meetings, the police are encouraged to liaise with the
CPS to present a “prosecution-team” approach, if CPS attendance is
not possible.

4.1 Targeting and Intelligence

4.1.1 Intelligence-led identification of PPOs

• Police intelligence units should undertake detailed analysis to

contribute to the multi-agency processes established in each
scheme for identifying PPOs.

• Once PPOs have been agreed, police intelligence units should

develop robust intelligence packages, relying on NIM and multi-
agency information, updated regularly. These should include
collection plans that are regularly analysed.

• PPO status should be flagged prominently on police intelligence

systems, the PNC (using the LX marker), custody and administrative
IT systems. These should be regularly updated, and removal of
PPOs also kept up-to-date. It is recognised that the LX marker is

Page 13 of 31
 not the preferred long-term solution to PPO flagging on PNC, but
provides a useful mechanism for increasing the chances that PPOs
from out-of-area are identified whilst changes to PNC are being
considered. JTrack also enables forces to identify PPOs that are
being targeted by other areas.

GOOD PRACTICE: POLICE INTRANET NOMINAL BRIEFING SYSTEMS

London Enfield borough, West Yorkshire and Essex have overcome the difficulties
of flagging PPO cases in PNC by incorporating PPO lists and profiles on police
intranets. This practice has been essential in ensuring the availability of PPO status
in custody suites, patrol teams and units tasked with executing actions on PPO
cases.

4.1.2 Targeting activities

• Targeting plans should be developed for all PPOs, working in

conjunction with other agencies wherever possible. These should
consider the full-range of options for disrupting offending, providing
intensive engagement and support, and responding rapidly and
robustly to any suspected offending.

GOOD PRACTICE: INTENSIVE SUPERVISION

Some very significant benefits are accruing in areas from the joint working of police and
probation in managing and targeting PPOs in the community through intensive
supervision. Police-probation teams in Leicestershire jointly conduct day-to-day
supervision, home visits and contacts with PPOs. In Merseyside, offenders on the PPO
Scheme are required to have four weekly contacts with the joint police-probation targeting
team. The joint probation and police scheme in a part of Thames Valley (“Project Iris”)
intensively targets PPOs and is integrated into police tasking and co-ordinating
procedures.

4.2 Patrol

• Actions from PPO targeting plans should be routinely fed into

operational tasking and coordination processes, and should be
prioritised where possible in the light of operational pressures,
ensuring rigorous enforcement of non-compliance with bail and
licence conditions.

GOOD PRACTICE: LINKS TO SCREENING PROCESS

In Thames Valley, PPO names are provided to the force command and control
centre, and they are expected to report incidents to the dedicated PPO team
(“Iris”) if a suspect’s description matches that of a PPO.

Page 14 of 31
 • Police on patrol should maximise intelligence gathering
opportunities on PPO cases.

• Patrol officers should carry out regular checks on bail conditions and
curfew for PPOs.

4.3 Investigation

• An investigative strategy should be agreed between the

investigating officer and the appropriate supervisory officer for all
incidents involving a PPO suspect.

• An experienced officer should be assigned to investigate any

incident involving a PPO, and a supervisory officer should ensure
that Levels 1 and 2 of the Professionalising Investigation
Programme (PIP) standards are consistently applied. Particular
priority should be given to pursuing immediate lines of enquiry.

• The strategy should consider all investigative options, including

crime scene management, fast-tracking of DNA or other forensic
options, and priority follow-up after a positive forensic investigation.

4.4 Charging and Case Preparation

• The custody officer is critical to the identification of PPOs arrested

following an incident, and all forces should ensure that they are
regularly briefed on PPO names.

• Arresting and custody officers should check for PPO status on PNC
or custody system records, and mark the file accordingly.

• Where available, a mandatory drug test must be conducted on all

PPOs who have been charged with a trigger offence. In addition,
where a PPO has been charged with a non-trigger offence and
Class A drug misuse is suspected, using existing Inspector’s
discretion, there should also be a presumption in favour of testing
the individual.

• When testing on arrest provisions under the Drugs Act 2005 are
implemented, a mandatory drug test must be conducted on all PPOs
who have been arrested with a trigger offence. Again, where a PPO
is charged with a non-trigger offence and Class A drug misuse is
suspected, using existing Inspector’s discretion there should be a
presumption in favour of testing the individual.

• Interviewing officers must be fully briefed on the case history of

PPOs in order to maximise the chances of bringing a robust case
forward.

Page 15 of 31
 • Every effort should be made to ensure that the totality of the PPO’s
offending is brought before the court. As prolific offenders, PPOs
are likely to be responsible for a significant number of offences
which means that it will be important to identify offences to be taken
into consideration (TICs) for reasons of public confidence, victim
satisfaction and maximising the number of offences brought to
justice (OBTJ). Interviewing officers should directly address and
maximise TIC opportunities during the course of interviews, utilising
the full offending history and intelligence profile of the offender.

GOOD PRACTICE: MAXIMISING TIC OPPORTUNITIES

In West Yorkshire, the police force has a proactive stance towards detecting and
prosecuting TICs, embodied in their “Cleanslate Policy”. Arrested offenders must
be served a CID 32 form upon arrest, explaining TICs and giving them the
opportunity during interview to admit other offences which may not be subject to
additional charging. In other Areas, PPOs receive a separate TIC interview, in
which they are given the chance to admit to other crimes.

• PPO cases should receive a prioritised service under the statutory

charging scheme, in line with the Director’s Guidance. This should
mean that the Investigating Officer and CPS lawyer should jointly
discuss the objectives to be achieved in the case and agree a
prosecution and case management strategy, with clearly recorded
actions.

• PPO status should be flagged by a prominent marker and by the

officer in charge to the CPS. This should mean that the PPO status
should be flagged on the front file cover, front information sheet
(MG1), summary details sheet (MG3) and charge sheet (MG4). The
charge sheet is the primary means by which PPOs will be identified
to court staff and so it is critical that this sheet be checked before
completion.

• A full offender history (including pre-convictions, bail history,

intelligence packages, and multi-agency information) should be
shared with CPS at the point of seeking pre-charge advice.

• Decisions to take “no further action” should be approved by the

appropriate police supervisory level (evidential review officer,
gatekeeper or supervisory equivalent).

• Robust tools for case preparation should be included in all PPO

cases, including the utilisation of victim impact statements,
intelligence profiles, “bad character” provisions, and witness
availability reports.

Page 16 of 31
 • Specific quality oversight from a DS or a specialist casebuilder
should be applied to all PPO file building.

• There should be a presumption against use of police bail for PPOs.

Remand or conditional bail will be sought for all PPO cases, and the
need for bail supervision addressed. Police should input proactively
to the process (whether in person in court, in writing, or through
remand and bail applications).

• Case details, including updating the scheme history, arrests,

summons, charges, TICs, cautions and NFAs, should be entered on
JTrack promptly and in accordance with data recording standards
(within a maximum of 7 days).

GOOD PRACTICE: CASE PREPARATION

Many police CJUs have case preparation advisers and casebuilders who provide
enhanced quality assurance for case files before they progress from the police through
the criminal justice system. Several PPO schemes have been successful in utilising
existing resources to apply extra quality checks to PPO files as part of premium service,
thus ensuring that cases brought forward and charged are legally sound and robustly
documented.

In Leicestershire’s Western BCU division, five dedicated case preparation advisors are
available through Project Capture, an initiative focused on core crime. These advisors
provide specialist advice and input into PPO interviews, investigations and planned
arrests. Their remit is to ensure that:

a) evidence is gathered and intelligence assembled prior to interview,

b) the case file is accurate, complete and legally sound,
c) interviewing officers and OICs are aware of the full case history, current
intelligence and useful lines of questioning to bring charges most effectively,
d) crime descriptions are robust and charges are accurate and appropriate,
e) all current PPO multi-agency intelligence is incorporated in the arguments put
forward in the case file.

This quality assurance process has proved useful in extending officers’ casebuilding
skills and in presenting the most sound and effective case to CPS and the courts. The
process is now being moved further upstream to the pre-charge stage.

Page 17 of 31
 GOOD PRACTICE: USE OF CONDITIONAL BAIL
Most areas recognise the importance of pursuing remand and conditional bail applications
for PPOs. Some areas are experimenting with bail conditions to find the most effective
ways of managing PPOs awaiting trial. Bradford, in West Yorkshire, is beginning a Pilot
scheme to test the effectiveness of stringent bail conditions for PPO cases. Recognising
that remand is not always appropriate in all cases due to capacity constraints, the Pilot will
automatically recommend PPOs for conditional bail with a tagging requirement carried out
by Securicor.

• The Crime Manager should review PPO cases with the CPS Unit
Head as part of their regular meeting under the Prosecution Team
Performance Management (PTPM) process.

4.5 Enforcement

• Forces should prioritise the enforcement of warrants issued against

PPOs – automatically according them “Category A” status or
equivalent grading in line with the ACPO/CJS Warrant Priority
Matrix.

• Local arrangements between court staff and the police should be

developed to enable PPO leads in the force to be informed of court
outcomes involving PPOs as soon as possible after the hearing.

• The police should be consulted over licence conditions for PPOs

released on licence from prison and on proposals to release PPOs
on Home Detention Curfew. The police should ensure that
mechanisms are in place in each force to ensure that they can
respond to such requests promptly and comprehensively.

Page 18 of 31
 5. Guidance for the Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service has the responsibility of assessing the

merit of any case brought for charge, and prosecuting offences before
the court. As such, it plays a crucial role in ensuring swift case
progression and securing successful prosecutions of PPOs. It will
prioritise the handling of PPO cases.

All Chief Crown Prosecutors should ensure they have procedures in

place for developing an effective approach to the CPS handling of
PPOs, and on-going monitoring.

The CPS should ensure that they participate at CJA-level meetings on

the PPO strategy to be adopted in each area. Where attendance at
CDRP or BCU-level inter-agency meetings is not possible, they should
liaise with the police to ensure that a “prosecution team” approach is
presented at such meetings.

5.1 Charging and Case Preparation

• PPO cases should receive a prioritised service under the statutory

charging scheme, in line with the Director’s Guidance. This should
mean that the Investigating Officer and CPS lawyer should jointly
discuss the objectives to be achieved in the case and agree a
prosecution strategy, with clearly recorded actions.

• There should be a presumption that referral arrangements in place

locally for advice on complex or serious matters should be used if
the CPS is minded to make a decision to NFA, reduce the charge or
discontinue a case involving a PPO.

• PPO files and case documents should be marked accordingly

before proceeding into the court process, particularly on the front file
cover, front information sheet (MG1), summary details (MG3) and
on charge sheets (MG4). The charge sheet is the primary means by
which court staff will identify PPO cases, and so CPS lawyers
should check that this form is completed fully when reviewing the
case.

• The CPS will also want to ensure that all duty prosecutors have an
up to date PPO list.

• All PPO cases should be marked as PPOs on Compass.

5.2 Court Process

• Cases should be allocated to lawyers with the appropriate skills and

experience.

Page 19 of 31
 • The CPS should aim to be ready to proceed at court when a case
receives expedited listing under any locally-agreed policy.

• Trials involving PPOs should proceed under the Criminal Case

Management Framework (where in place).

• For PPOs who are youths, case management arrangements that

are in place for PYOs should apply.

GOOD PRACTICE: FLAGGING PPO CASES TO THE CPS

One area is trying to bridge the gap in flagging between police and CPS. In London’s
Camden borough, a CPS representative is actively involved in the monthly PPO Case
Management meeting, regularly receives the updated PPO profile and list, and is familiar
with local PPO cases. To overcome any file flagging challenges, she tries to regularly
notify CPS lawyers when they are assigned PPO cases. Other areas ensure that officers
in charge of a PPO case notify CPS of its status at the point of seeking pre-charge advice.
Other areas, such as Leicestershire, use JTrack as an essential tool in monitoring PPOs
and their progress through the criminal justice system.

• Enhanced case review should be applied throughout the case.

• The Unit Head should review PPO cases with the police Crime
Manager as part of their regular meeting under the Prosecution
Team Performance Management (PTPM) process.

• The breadth, extent and gravity of PPO criminal activity should be

brought to the attention of the court by pursuing all admitted
offences by way of charge or TIC.

• PPO case results, including finalisations, TICs accepted and

charges laid at court, should be recorded on JTrack within 7 days of
the end of the case.

• Evaluation of PPO case outcomes should be prioritised within the

Prosecution Team Performance Management mechanisms between
the police and CPS. Cases that result in cracked and ineffective
trials should be reviewed under the Criminal Case Management
Framework.

GOOD PRACTICE: POLICE-CPS APPROACH TO PPOs

In Leicestershire Criminal Justice Area, the police and CPS are drawing on the success of
other initiatives to target core crime in order to develop further targeted approaches to this
offender population, which includes PPOs. Plans are in place in the Central district to
establish a dedicated prosecution team made up of police and CPS to focus exclusively
on core crime cases, which is expected to have an impact on PPO prosecutions.

Page 20 of 31
 5.3 Performance monitoring

• All PPO cases should be flagged on receipt by CPS on Compass.

• The monthly report prepared by CPS HQ will compare the number

of PPO offences charged by police on JTrack with the number of
PPO cases registered by CPS on Compass.

• The monthly report will also monitor CPS compliance with the
seven-day data recording standard.

Page 21 of 31
 6. Guidance for HM Courts Service

Courts have a role in ensuring that PPO cases are dealt with in an
efficient and effective manner, and in particular that unnecessary delays
and adjournments are avoided. Additionally, court staff can fulfil a
valuable administrative function in expediting notifications of court
outcomes and PPO status to appropriate partners within police,
probation and prisons.

6.1 Court Processes

• The primary means of identification of PPO cases for court staff

should be from the charge sheet, which should have a prominent
PPO marker. Court staff are also encouraged to work with inter-
agency partners to be provided with lists of PPOs in each area, but
this should not be seen as the primary mechanism of identification.

• PPOs should be flagged by court staff on CREST for those cases in

the Crown Court.

• All court staff should ensure procedures are put in place that
enables court staff to identify PPO cases. This could include
marking PPO status on the case file, provided it is not visible to
magistrates or judges.

• Trials involving PPOs will proceed under the Criminal Case

Management Framework (where in place).

• For PPOs who are youths, case management arrangements in

place for PYOs should apply.

6.2 Listing

• The listing of PPO cases will be undertaken in accordance with

guidance issued by LJ Thomas on 12 April 2005. The key points of
this guidance are as follows:

In those cases where the defendant (alleged to be a PPO) pleads

guilty or is found guilty, there is little difficulty in ensuring that he
is sentenced as quickly as possible.

where a person is alleged by the prosecuting authorities to be a

PPO and pleads not guilty, in most courts, the issue should not
cause any difficulty, as a court will wish to deal with all its cases
as speedily as possible. In most cases a person alleged to be a
PPO is likely to be in custody and the normal rules for expediting
such cases will deal in almost all cases with any issue of
expedition.

Page 22 of 31
 In those courts where this is not the case, or where the person
alleged to be a PPO is on bail, it must be for the court to decide
upon the competing demands of the business before it – such as
the need to try cases involving child witnesses quickly. The
speedy trial of a person on bail who has a long record of
offending is highly desirable, as there is an obvious risk of further
offending.

For this purpose, therefore, it may be permissible to identify to

the listing officer (and, if need be, to a judge or magistrate who is
not going to try the case) the fact that the person is alleged to be
a PPO so that the case can be dealt with in accordance with the
considerations laid down by the court in its listing practices.

• Given the small number of PPOs that are likely to be in the courts at
any one time, it is hoped that such cases can be dealt with
expeditiously.

GOOD PRACTICE: LISTING

Courts pursue a variety of approaches to prioritising listing for PPO cases, from applying
time limitations to holding specific times in the court schedule for PPO cases to be heard.
In London, the courts have reached an agreement to list PPO trials within a normal
maximum of 42 days of a not guilty plea. Additionally, Crown Court centres in London
have agreed to apply the same standards as currently apply for PYO premium service
cases, namely to process PPO cases from arrest to sentence within 180 days. Several
area magistrates’ courts, including those in West Midlands and Essex, are actively holding
diary space for PPOs or rearranging listing schedules to accommodate PPO cases.

• Cases that result in cracked and ineffective trials should be

reviewed under the Criminal Case Management Framework.

GOOD PRACTICE: LOCAL ADULT CASE PROGRESSION GROUPS

In Humberside, local adult case progression groups operate in a similar manner to those
dealing with Persistent Young Offender cases, considering each case individually and
agreeing any necessary actions. They report performance and problems to Local Criminal
Justice Groups, which in turn consider PPO Case Progression as part of their agenda.

6.3 Sentencing and other decisions

• PPO status should not be communicated to the sentencer but

should be flagged (using a PPO stamp or other clear marker) on
warrants, prison orders, PSR requests and court outcome
information.

Page 23 of 31
 • Court staff should communicate bail decisions on PPOs within 24
hours. Whilst it is recognised that it is not possible to prioritise
communication of PPO court results from the register, court staff
should agree informal arrangements with local PPO teams to ensure
they are informed of court outcomes as soon as possible.

6.4 Enforcement hearings

• Court staff will notify the police of FTA warrants for PPOs within one
working day, in line with the new national target set by the NCJB
(the police will prioritise the enforcement of warrants issued against
PPOs – automatically according them “Category A” status or
equivalent grading).

• Court staff should ensure that priority is given to PPOs with

community penalty breach cases, outstanding compensation
payments due to victims and those with multiple fines.

• Courts should take particular account of the Practice Direction

issued by the Lord Chief Justice on 22 January 2004 which stated
that courts should deal with Bail Act offences as soon as
practicable.

GOOD PRACTICE: FAST TRACKING RETURNS TO COURT

In Merseyside, PPO breaches of community order and licence conditions are fast
tracked for recall to court and listed within 7 days.

Page 24 of 31
 7 Guidance for National Offender Management Service (NOMS)

NOMS has a critical role to play in reducing reoffending by PPOs under

the Rehabilitate and Resettle strand, through the application of robust
control and the effective delivery of appropriate interventions. NOMS
can also make an important contribution throughout the end-to-end
process by sharing information about offenders (e.g. from OASys) and
contributing to the case management processes.

As the NOMS change programme develops, responsibility for securing

the elements of the premium service will increasingly rest with Offender
Managers. In the interim, it will be delivered through a mix of prison and
probation staff.

7.1 Identification

• Probation (and potentially prison) staff should have an input to the

process of identifying and selecting PPOs, to ensure that the
process takes account of the maximum available intelligence.

• Each probation area should ensure that mechanisms are in place for
identifying PPO status to all staff who come into contact with the
PPO. For example, this could in due course consist of the
application of a flag on CRAMS or other case management
systems.

• The primary means of identifying PPOs to prisons will be on the

committal warrant from the court, but the Offender Manager should
ensure that the PSR and other relevant information is swiftly
transferred to the prison.

• When a PPO attends court from prison, the Prisoner Escort Form
(PER) should be updated to inform escorting contractors of any
PPO attending court appearances/appeals and presented to the
escorting contractors during the discharge process in reception.

• The prison should ensure that mechanisms are in place for the PPO
status of an offender to be flagged on LIDS. Where known, the
reception and discharge address must be entered. For those PPOs
who have no fixed abode, the town and county fields must be
completed using the committal court address as a proxy.

• Offender Managers should ensure that schemes have clear

processes for considering the removal of PPOs from the scheme,
where risk of reoffending has been reduced significantly, and that
those processes are followed. CDRPs should ensure that
arrangements exist to remove offenders from the scheme if higher
priority offenders come on to it, to ensure that numbers on local
schemes remain manageable.

Page 25 of 31
 7.2 Court processes

• Offender Managers should make representations to the court about

requesting a standard delivery Pre-Sentence Report (PSR) for PPO
cases, rather than a fast delivery PSR.

• Without revealing a defendant’s PPO status to the court (in keeping

with the guidance issued by Thomas LJ on 12 April 2005) PSRs
should provide a full account of offending, risks and action most
likely to reduce risk. The report should draw on as wide a range of
information as possible, including case history and intelligence. This
may include information from other agencies, including the police,
but should be factual and verifiable. Detailed guidance on writing
PSRs on PPOs has been issued to probation areas. Areas should
ensure that the guidance is followed.

• The allocation of PSRs should be fast-tracked, ideally to the person

who will be the Offender Manager for the offender. Where
consistent with quality, the production of the report should also be
accelerated. Offender Managers should wherever possible avoid
seeking further adjournments to complete PSRs.

• In advising the court on the appropriate disposal, Offender

GOOD PRACTICE: POLICE PSR CONTRIBUTION

In Thames Valley, the Iris Project seeks to target offenders, including PPOs, who are
involved in acquisitive crime. Police regularly work with Probation to prepare joint pre-
sentence reports (PSRs), which provide a full and comprehensive account of
offending behaviour and joint recommendations on sentencing options, including the
appropriateness of custodial and community sentences. The approach has ensured
that comprehensive, high quality information on PPOs is available to the courts in the
PSR.

Managers should prioritise PPOs for intensive supervision

requirements.

7.3 Interventions - community

• An Offender Manager should be appointed for all PPOs. The

Offender Manager should be allocated with the necessary
competencies and skills to manage the case. Many PPOs will
qualify as Tier 4 offenders, but all PPOs should be managed in a
way that enables effective inter agency working regardless of the
tier to which they are assigned.

• Sentence plans should be completed within five days of sentence.

• PPOs are likely to pose a high risk of re-offending but may also
pose a high risk of harm. If so, Offender Managers should complete

Page 26 of 31
 a full risk of harm assessment, risk management plan and OASys
within five working days of the commencement of the order or
release into the community. In any event, the OASys assessment

GOOD PRACTICE: THROUGH THE PRISON GATES

Thames Valley and London have focused on establishing strong and sustained contact
between PPO teams and Prisons. Upon confirming PPO release dates with prisons,
local probation officers liase with prison resettlement teams to address PPO
resettlement issues. In addition, police-probation team members meet PPOs at the
prison gate upon release to ensure continuity of contact and that appropriate monitoring
has been established.

should be shared with partner agencies as part of routine liaison in

accordance with locally-agreed protocols.

• Offender Managers should ensure PPOs are given priority access to

appropriate programmes to reduce their offending (subject to not
undermining work with offenders who present a high risk of harm).

• Offender Managers should share information/intelligence on PPOs

with the police in accordance with local protocols.

7.4 Interventions – custody

• Sentence plans should be completed within five days of sentence.

• Prisons must already maintain and update the OASys record of all
prisoners serving 12 months or more. Where resources permit, this
should be extended to PPOs serving shorter sentences (some
Regional Offender Managers have already decided to prioritise
PPOs in this way).

• Prisons will prioritise PPO access to appropriate programmes whilst

in custody and seek to avoid the movement of PPOs between
prisons so that rehabilitative work is not interrupted.

• Establishments must be ready to facilitate the involvement of

resettlement in-reach teams from the home locality of PPOs.

• Offender Managers should facilitate consultation with the home

police force in relation to the imposition of licence conditions on
PPOs.

7.5 Information sharing

• All prison establishments should provide a single liaison point for

other agencies on PPO cases.

Page 27 of 31
 • As soon as an establishment becomes aware of a PPO in its care, it
must inform the designated home police Basic Command Unit
(BCU) contact.

• When the release date is known sufficiently in advance, prisons will

notify local police and probation (or youth offending teams for young
people) 28 days before the release of the PPO. In cases where the
determination of a release date and actual release date are less
than 28 days apart, the prison should notify the local police and
probation as soon as the release decision has been made.

• If a PPO is eligible for release on home detention curfew (HDC), the

Offender Manager should facilitate consultation with the police in the
home area to contribute to the Governor’s decision.

• If a PPO is to be released on HDC the possible date of release

should also be notified to the home area. The BCU must also be
notified on the day the prisoner is actually released.

• The police should also be informed in advance of any PPO that is

released on temporary licence.

GOOD PRACTICE: COMMUNICATION OF RELEASE DATES

The OASys team in Holme House prison regularly issues a spreadsheet to local PPO
schemes detailing the PPOs currently in the prison. The spreadsheet includes a
countdown function showing how many days remain until the offender is released.

GOOD PRACTICE: POLICE-PRISONS COLLABORATION

Leicestershire’s PPO team has developed an effective working relationship with
prisons, with a seconded prison officer working within the core crime team. This
relationship has allowed police to have an input (almost a ‘right of refusal’) into prison
early release decisions through expressing their case to prison governors.

7.6 Enforcement

• Rigorous enforcement of community order breaches through recall

should be applied and prioritised for PPOs, in line with the CJA
2003. As a minimum, National Standards should be complied with,
but PPOs should be prioritised for faster timescales as fast-track
enforcement schemes develop.

7.7 Performance monitoring

• Performance monitoring processes for NOMS and Offender

Managers are still under development.

Page 28 of 31
 • A number of key requirements have already been incorporated in
Probation and HMPS business plans, ensuring that LCJBs can hold
senior representatives to account for delivery.

Page 29 of 31
 8. Guidance for Youth Offending Teams

Currently about 12% of PPOs are youths, which means that Youth
Offending Teams have a key role to play, mirroring that of Probation
colleagues in NOMS. For young people serving custodial sentences,
Yot supervising officers also have an important role in communicating
PPO status and securing the requirements of the Premium Service.
This should be straightforward in the Prison Service YOIs where the
requirements are largely the same (allowing for differences in the
structure of the Detention and Training Order) but if, on occasions, a
youth PPO is sent to a Secure Training Centre (STC) or a Local
Authority Secure Children’s Home (LASCH), staff in the secure facility
are less likely to be familiar with the requirements of the PPO scheme.
Yots should actively liaise with relevant STCs and LASCHs to ensure
they are aware of a young person’s PPO status and what this entails.

Yots also have a critical role to play in relation to the Prevent and Deter
strand, which is not covered by this specification. As already
mentioned, in due course the intention is to extend it to cover the
Prevent and Deter strand, and potentially, to incorporate the
contribution of non-CJS agencies to the Rehabilitate and Resettle
strand.

8.1 Identification

• Yots should participate fully in the identification process, sharing

information with police and other partners, according to local
protocols.

• Each Yot should ensure that mechanisms are in place for identifying
PPO status to all staff who come into contact with the PPO,
including flagging on case management systems.

8.2 Court processes

• Representations should be made to the court to request a full Pre-

Sentence Reports (PSR) for PPO cases (rather than SSRs).

• Without revealing a defendant’s PPO status to the court (in keeping

with the guidance issued by Thomas LJ on 12 April 2005) PSRs
should provide a full account of case history and be informed by
intelligence and recommendations of multi-agency partners.

• PSRs should be fast-tracked where possible, both in their allocation

and writing. The majority of youth PPOs will also be PYOs so the
PYO time target of 10 working days should apply.

8.3 Interventions

• PPO cases should be allocated to experienced supervising officers.

Page 30 of 31
 • Risk of Serious Harm assessments should be carried out alongside
Asset for all PPO cases and the results should be shared with
partner agencies via overall case management procedures.

• Training plans should be completed within five days of sentence.

• Interventions should continue to be appropriate to risk and need but,

if the original targeting is appropriate, many PPOs are likely to be
appropriate for the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance
Programme (ISSP). Where they are eligible for ISSP, they should be
prioritised for a place but, if they are not eligible, Yots should apply
the learning and quality standards from ISSP to provide a
programme of equivalent rigour and intensity.

• Supervising officers should ensure PPOs are given priority access

to appropriate programmes to reduce their offending (subject to not
undermining work with offenders who present a high degree of
danger).

• Supervising officers should share information/intelligence on PPOs

with the Police in accordance with local protocols.

8.4 Enforcement

• Rigorous enforcement of community order breaches should be

applied for PPOs. Where fast-tracking protocols have been agreed
for getting ISSP breaches back into court, these should also apply to
PPOs.

8.5 Performance monitoring

• Youth Justice Plans for 2005/06 include intensive interventions –

covering ISSP and PPOs - as one of the key delivery themes for
Yots.

• YJB regional managers should advise LCJBs on how best to hold

Yots to account for their performance.

Page 31 of 31
 Annex B

Monitoring of PPOs: Clarification

and Update on Performance
October 2005

1
 Annex B

1. Introduction
All CDRPs were required to have a PPO scheme in place by September 2004. To
support this initiative Probation Areas have been required to undertake specific
actions and to provide information demonstrating compliance. It is acknowledged that
this information has been issued to Areas in a piecemeal way and this document
aims to summarise what is required in one document. It also gives a brief
commentary on performance to date.

In summary Areas have been required to:

1. Ensure 90 per cent of risk of harm assessments and OASys sentence plans
are completed on PPOs within five working days of commencement of the
order or release into the community
2. Consider proposing additional licence conditions in all post-custodial licences
for PPOs (PC 56/2004)
3. Introduce drug testing for PPOs released on licence (PC 56/2004, PC
16/2005, PC 34/2005 and PC72/2005)
4. Follow guidance in PC 51/2004 and PC 33 A /2005 when preparing PSRs on
PPOs and ensure PPOs are not identified as such in reports
5. Ensure that PPOs who are in the highest seriousness band for a community
sentence are proposed for an intensive community order (PC 56/2005)

Clarification and a performance summary for each of the above requirements is given
below.

2. Clarification and Performance Summary

2.1 Ensure 90 per cent of risk of harm assessments and OASys

sentence plans are completed on PPOs within five working days of
commencement of the order or release into the community

Most Areas are allocating most PPOs to Tier 4 (PC 65/2005), although there are
some exceptions to this. Areas should note that the above target applies to all PPOs
regardless of the offender management tier to which the PPO is allocated.

To meet this target a risk of harm screening and full risk of harm assessment (where
the screening indicates it is necessary) must be completed within five working days
of release/or the sentence being made. In addition, the OASys sentence plan must
be completed within the same period to meet this target.

2.1.1 Monitoring arrangements

NPD needs to report immediately on performance against this target, so it is not

possible to monitor it via NSMART returns. Areas are therefore required to complete
a monthly return. The form has however been simplified following feedback from
Areas and was issued in PC 77/2005.

2.1.2 Performance

2
 Annex B

Data for the period April to August indicates this target is being met in only 61per
cent of cases. This breaks down to 65% for those released on licence compared to
56% for those on community sentences.

Areas not meeting this target may wish to review their allocation and/or recording
procedures to ensure this target is met.

2.2 Additional licence conditions for PPOs

PC 55/2004 reminded Areas that offenders can have additional licence requirements
which require them to address their problems with:
‘alcohol/drug/sexual/gambling/solvent abuse/anger/debt and offending behaviour’
PC 56/2004 required that there should be a presumption in favour of additional
licence conditions for PPOs. Reasons for not proposing additional licence conditions
for PPOs should be clearly recorded on the file.

2.2.1 Monitoring arrangements

Information about use of additional licence conditions is collected through NSMART.

Consideration of additional licence conditions relating specifically to drug problems is
monitored separately from other conditions because NPD is required to report use of
drug-related conditions to a cabinet committee and the Prime Minister. NSMART
returns have been incomplete and it is acknowledged this may be due to lack of
clarity on the NSMART form. The NSMART forms have therefore been amended to
give greater clarity and will be issued as a PC shortly.

2.2.2 Performance

Data drawn from NSMART in April 2005 indicates that additional licence conditions
were considered in only 58% of cases although given the above problems this data
needs to be treated with caution.

2.3 DRUG TESTING PPOs ON LICENCE

PC 34/2005 required Areas to introduce drug testing on licence for PPOs convicted
of a trigger offence under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. The PC
contained detailed guidance on targeting, frequency of testing and enforcement. As a
minimum, Areas were required to introduce drug testing to those PPOs sentenced for
a trigger offence committed on or after 4th April 2005. Areas who were already drug
testing PPOs, or who wanting to introduce this provision sooner, were at liberty to do
so.

Areas were advised that they could either make local arrangements to provide drug
testing equipment and confirmatory testing or could use two centrally-procured
suppliers, Cozart and Surescreen. NPD allocated £0.5 million to support this
initiative, broken down by Area according to the established formula.

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 Annex B

2.3.1 Monitoring

The government is committed to drug testing offenders to encourage referral of

appropriate cases to treatment.1 NPD has to report regularly on implementation to
ministers. Areas were therefore initially required to complete a monthly return so data
could be reported more quickly than is possible using NSMART. Returns have been
poor and compliance with the drug-testing requirement has been difficult to assess.

Areas are required to continue using the monthly return up to and including
September 2005. Areas with outstanding returns, including nil returns, should send
these to NPD as soon as possible. From October, monitoring of drug testing on
licence will be undertaken through NSMART in order to reduce data collection
burdens on Areas. Areas are however reminded that the delay in obtaining NSMART
data may mean NPD will require Areas to undertake a snapshot of numbers of PPOs
subject to drug testing, if ministers require such data urgently.

2.3.2 Current performance

Lack of appropriately completed returns make it difficult to distinguish between those

Areas who do not yet have offenders in the minimum requirement target group (i.e.
sentenced for a trigger offence committed on or after 4th April) from those who have
offenders in the target group but where no drug testing condition has been
recommended.

2.4 PRE SENTENCE REPORTS ON PPOs

PC 33A/2005 gave detailed guidance on preparing PSRs on PPOs. This was

endorsed by the PPO Programme Board and the judiciary on 25th April 2005.

Initially it was envisaged the PSR guidance would be reviewed after six months
operation. It has subsequently been agreed that a 12-month operational period prior
to review will be more informative. The guidance will therefore be reviewed in April
2006.

2.4.1 Monitoring arrangements

Areas are currently responsible for monitoring compliance with the guidance at a
local level.

2.5 DELIVERING INTENSIVE ORDERS TO PPOs

In keeping with PC 51/2005, PC 56/2005 required Areas to target offenders in the

highest level of the community sentence band for intensive community orders. This is
likely to include a large number of PPOs. Sample packages are suggested in the
CJA 2003 Implementation Guide as models 11 and 12. Since issuing PC 56/2005,
the definition of an intensive community order has been refined. For monitoring
purposes, an intensive community order can be defined as a community order which
has:

1
Home Office SDA 4

4
 Annex B

ƒ four or more different requirements, one of which must be a supervision

requirement. This can include a DRR or other rehabilitation requirement
ƒ A long unpaid work requirement (150+hrs) plus any restrictive requirement such
as a curfew or prohibitive requirement.

The definition excludes singleton requirements, even where these are very
restrictive, such as a condition of residence.

Areas are reminded that the above is intended as guidance only as a way of
replicating pre-CJA 2003 sentences such as The Intensive Control and Change
Programme (ICCP), DTTOs and Intensive Supervision and Monitoring Schemes
(ISMs). Other combinations/numbers of requirements can also be appropriate
proposals for PPOs.

2.5.1 Monitoring

Performance and Regions Unit are progressing this work alongside the Act
Implementation team and RDS (Research and Development Statistics) NOMS.

2.5.2 Current performance

Early data on CJA sentencing needs to be treated with caution, especially as

information on offence seriousness is missing in many cases. It does however
suggest that PPOs are getting community sentences as opposed to short custodial
sentences. Out of 67 PPOs sentenced under CJA 2003, 52 received a community
order, and none was given a custodial sentence of less than 12 months. More
information is needed however on offence seriousness and combinations of
requirements to assess if those in the high seriousness band are being targeted for
intensive interventions.

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 Annex C

National Reference Group: Prolific and Other Priority Offenders’

Strategy October 2005 to March 2006

DRAFT Terms of Reference

1. Aims of the Reference Group

The aims of the reference group are:

1. To facilitate effective communication between areas and NPD about the PPO
strategy
2. To identify problems with implementation and identify possible solutions
3. To review performance and support improvements
4. To inform the agenda of the Home Office PPO Implementation Team
5. To promote integration of diversity issues into PO schemes
6. To share best practice

2. Terms of Reference

1. Provide a forum for NPD and Areas to exchange information on the

implementation of the PPO strategy, including drug testing and the migration
of ICCP/ISMs and the Street Crime Initiative into the PPO Strategy
2. Review performance and share best practice to improve performance
3. Identify and address external factors that impact on NPS delivery of the
strategy
4. Consider race impact assessments and diversity issues relating to PPO
schemes

3. Proposed Membership of the Reference Group

Chair – NPD Grade 7, Intensive Intervention Unit

NPD Regional Manager x2
NPS Assistant Chief Officer seconded to PPO HO Implementation Team
HMPS representative
Probation manager (ACO/SPO) x10 - one from each region

Representatives from other groups may be invited to attend as and when required.

4. Arrangements for Meetings

Representatives will be invited to attend about four meetings per year, in London, of
about three hours’ duration.

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 Annex D

NOMINATION FOR PPO NATIONAL REFERENCE GROUP

PROBATION AREA

REGION

NAME OF NOMINEE

ROLE AND GRADE OF NOMINEE

CONTACT DETAILS OF NOMINEE

INCLUDING E-MAIL AND

TELEPHONE NUMBER

IS THIS A NOMINATION ON BEHALF OF THE REGION

YES/NO
Please e-mail completed form to Ed Griffin :
edward.griffin@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk :Telephone number 0207 217 0760