South Yorkshire

Multi- Agency Public Protection Arrangements

Annual Report 2003- 2004
Foreword We have pleasure in presenting this, the third annual report on public protection
arrangements in South Yorkshire and great pride in the developing strength and
continued success of what we have put in place on behalf of our communities.

Protecting South Yorkshire people from the most serious offenders living in our
communities continues to be one of the highest priorities of law enforcement
agencies and the criminal justice system generally. We believe that we have a positive
story to tell in carrying out this work and this report begins to do just that.

The figures alone underline the effectiveness of such public protection work in making
sure that serious offenders released from prison back into our communities do not
have the opportunity to commit further offences and create more victims.

However, it is important that we don’t rest on our laurels. As the report clearly shows,
much work has taken place in 2003/04 to develop our public protection arrangements,
to streamline the working arrangements between the organisations involved and to
continue to improve our intelligence gathering and monitoring.

More is to come. During the coming year, for the first time, lay members of the public
will be involved in managing and advising on how public protection is carried out. The
prisons will become central to the system. The Government has strengthened the law
to deal with sex offenders and we will make full use of these powers where necessary
in South Yorkshire.

We hope that, like us, you will be impressed by what this report has to say and that
the public will be reassured by the hard work being carried out on its behalf. We look
forward to our public protection arrangements developing further in the years ahead
and making a major contribution to the safety of our communities.

Heather Harker, Mike Hedges,

Chief Officer, Chief Constable,
National Probation Service, South Yorkshire. South Yorkshire Police.
Special arrangements to protect the public from sexual and violent offenders have been in place Introduction
since 2001.
Since then, both the local criminal justice agencies and the Government have worked to
strengthen our ability to tackle sexual and violent crimes.

The Government has continued to strengthen public protection arrangements

in three key areas:

• The prison service has now joined police and probation as a constituent member of the
‘responsible authority’ working alongside the other agencies at the heart of public protection
work (see overleaf for further details)

• Certain agencies that can play an important role in preventing re-offending now have a duty
to co-operate in public protection work;

• Members of the public now have an opportunity to support and advise the agencies involved
and to monitor their effectiveness.

The Government has also strengthened and updated the law relating to sex offences, for
example on rape and offences against children, while building on existing powers to restrict the
movements of sexual offenders.

The appendix at the back of this report contains full details of these new provisions.

Protecting the public from these violent and sexual offenders is one of our top priorities in
South Yorkshire. It is important that people know and understand what is being done on their
behalf. This annual report will explain what the special public protection arrangements are in
South Yorkshire, how they work and what in particular has been achieved over the past year.
 What The vast majority of those serving prison sentences will, at some point, be released back into
the community. This includes violent and sexual offenders.
are
Multi-Agency Although services such as the police and probation service had worked together for some years
Public in dealing with these offenders, it became a requirement under the law following the Criminal
Justice and Court Services Act 2000, which has now been updated by Sections 325-327 of the
Protection
Criminal Justice Act 2003.
Arrangements?
Since then, the South Yorkshire public protection unit has co-ordinated the work of a wide
range of organisations with the aim of reducing to a minimum the likelihood of violent and
sexual offenders causing further harm.

Under the law, the National Probation Service in South Yorkshire, South Yorkshire Police and,
from 2004, the Prison Service make up the ‘responsible authority’ that must manage and co-
ordinate this work. They do this through the public protection unit.

The unit is made up of:

• The public protection manager (a senior probation officer)

• A detective sergeant (to manage specific operational activity)
• A police constable (with experience of work in the sexual offences unit)
• A unit intelligence assistant
• An administrator

Among the key roles of the unit are:

• Receiving preliminary assessments of potentially dangerous offenders

• Advising on arrangements for sharing information, assessment and managing cases
• Convening multi-agency public protection panels (see page 6 for more details)
• Quality control of risk management plans
• Maintaining a register of offenders
• Co-ordinating sex offender risk assessment panels
• Providing some intelligence work
• Linking with other public protection arrangements in the region and nationally
• Providing training
As already explained, South Yorkshire Police, the National Probation Service in South Yorkshire Who’s
and the Prison Service are the central organisations involved in public protection arrangements.
involved?
However, the work would not be possible without the involvement of a range of other agencies
that bring their skills and resources to bear in managing sexual and violent offenders.

The major partners are:

• Social services
• Local authority housing services
• Youth offending teams
• Mental health services

Other organisations are involved on a case-by-case basis, including:

• Education services
• Employment service
• Drugs and alcohol counselling services
• Housing associations and supported accommodation providers
• Domestic abuse support services
• NSPCC
• Junction Project-Barnados

Individual agencies make referrals to the public protection unit if they assess an offender as How
dangerous. Not surprisingly, the probation service makes most referrals. does
it work?
If the public protection unit decides that a joint approach would improve public protection,
then the unit co-ordinates the sharing of information and intelligence so that as much
knowledge as possible is built up about the offender and, if necessary, joint plans made.

How it works is best illustrated by looking at practical examples and below are two that show
some of the different approaches required.

Mark received six years for manslaughter. On his release from prison he lived in a probation Case study:
hostel. Although at first finding it difficult to adjust into the community, he settled into the hostel
and successfully applied for training. He attended college and began a relationship. His new Mark
partner visited probation and discussed his offence with his officer. At one point he wanted to Key agency
visit his family in the area where the offence was committed. After enquiries by the police and
the victim contact unit this was agreed but only for a short period. The meeting heard the
involved –
information from the local area and agreed with this decision. This went well, and overall his National
progress indicated a reduced level of risk. Mark had completed an accredited group work
Probation
programme and had been allowed to leave the hostel and begin to settle in his own
accommodation. Because of the progress he made on licence, and the level of work he had Service
completed, it was agreed that he shouldn’t continue to have his case reviewed in the joint
arrangements. The probation service continues to supervise him, and no concerns have been
registered. He has continued with his training, settled into his own home, and presented no
problems to the police. His progress is positive and encouraging.
 Case study: Julie had previous convictions for violence. There were also concerns about self-harm. Released
on prison licence, the concerns grew and led to her recall back to prison after threatening her
Julie
partner and committing new offences. At the later court appearance she received a community
Key agencies rehabilitation order, with a curfew requirement. A public protection panel was convened
involved because, despite her recent court appearance, her supervising officer continued to raise
– mental health concerns. She was referred to the local mental health team for assessment. The probation
service’s psychological services also assessed the risk. The assessment concluded that Julie had
services &
an anti-social personality disorder and would need to seek specialist advice and intervention to
probation reduce the risks if her condition went untreated. Her relationship suffered considerably and this
affected her state of mind and the risks she posed. The police were called to her house after a
neighbour complained about a disturbance. She was arrested and the information the police
had on computer alerted them to the fact that Julie was known under the public protection
arrangements and they contacted the appropriate services immediately. The swift actions of all
agencies ensured that the situation did not escalate to a more worrying incident. Subsequent
assessments took place and a care plan was developed to manage her future treatment.

A small number of offenders ('critical few') are considered to be very high risk and for these the
public protection unit will convene what is known as a multi-agency public protection
panel (MAPPP).

Each district – Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham – has such a panel and they meet
monthly to consider cases. Meetings are also called as required.

Again, what happens is best illustrated by looking at examples.

Case Stephen was convicted of sexual assaults against young children. He had previous similar
offences and was sentenced to five years in prison. On his release from custody he was
study:
supervised on licence and had to live at a probation-run hostel. As a sex offender he also
Stephen had to register with the police. The licence conditions meant he had to live where directed
and not to have contact with children. Both the public protection panel and the sex offender
panel monitored his case. The police and the probation service attended both meetings and
were able to ensure that all relevant information was shared in both sets of meetings. The
police also had very good links to the hostel and his movements were monitored closely.
During his licence concerns came to light about his behaviour and he was recalled to prison.
Public protection panel meetings agreed that he could live with a supported housing
provider, who worked closely with the police and probation. However, further safeguards
were required and a sex offender order (see opposite for more information) was made. The
accommodation provider, the police and probation monitored him. The sex offender order
gave a number of safeguards, which if breached could result in a prison sentence, and the
police continued to visit. The risks continue but are being managed successfully.
Tim had a long history of alcohol misuse. He had been arrested for an offence of arson. Case
This charge did not proceed because of his mental health state at the time. Both the police
and the mental health services had concerns about his behaviour and his ability to cope in study:
the community. His level of offending over the years, coupled with his risks at this time, Tim
made him suitable for public protection arrangements. Because of his recent behaviour he
was admitted to a local hospital. After various assessments it was agreed that whilst he
wasn’t suffering from behaviour that constituted a diagnosis of mental health impairment,
his ability to function in the community without presenting risks to himself and others
needed attention. After a number of meetings a strategy was agreed that would allow Tim
to remain on the ward pending suitable accommodation being located and approved. A
suitable property was located that would allow Tim to return into the community with the
necessary support and assistance from the medical services. Such a plan would also allow a
degree of supervision and monitoring thereby reducing the potential risks to others.

In addition to the partnership arrangements already described, other work is carried out to Additional
support public protection work.
work
The National Probation Service operates a range of special programmes designed to deal with
particular offending behaviour. As well as a sex offender programme the service is introducing a
new domestic violence programme. This programme will take more domestic violence offenders,
offer support and safeguards for victims and will involve the police in providing information
about any incidents involving the men on the programme.

There is also a partnership with Community Health Sheffield to provide resources for treating sex
offenders with learning difficulties.

The aim of all this work is to reduce the risk of further offending.

Additionally, the probation service enforces the provisions of community sentences and prisoners
released on licence. If offenders fail to report as required, they are returned to court and
possibly prison.

The police manage the sex offender register. They visit each registered person every 12 months.
If there is cause for concern, they will visit more frequently.

The police may also seek a sex offender order. This can prevent offenders from visiting certain
places, such as parks. Such orders are becoming more important in providing additional
controls for protecting the public.

During the year, a pilot scheme saw joint police/probation visits to sex offenders nearing the end
of their sentences to compile a profile at the earliest opportunity.

The police also organise sex offender risk assessment panels, involving police, probation and
social services. They review the risks posed by all registered sex offenders and link with the
public protection arrangements described in this report to manage high risk offenders.
Achievements The aim, of course, of our public protection arrangements is to reduce to the minimum the
chances of sexual and violent offenders harming further members of the public.
2003/04
The success of these arrangements is underlined by the fact that of 90 offenders who came
under arrangements for the ‘critical few’, only 1 re-offended. Eliminating such a risk would be
our aspiration but in the real world is difficult to achieve. However, it is fair to say that without
such arrangements, these offenders would commit far more crimes.

There have also been some important developments during the year covered by this report.

The most important of these was the development of structured arrangements to deal with
those offenders who aren’t in the ‘critical few’ cases subject to public protection panels but
need scrutiny by more than one agency. These are called Level 2 meetings.

This was a key area of the public protection unit’s work during 2003/04 and builds on the initial
work to create strong arrangements for the most serious offenders.

The public protection unit moved into South Yorkshire Police headquarters. The unit restructured
and completed a full review of its operational activity. The move has enabled the unit and the
police to work even more effectively together, for example in sharing intelligence.

Of considerable benefit this year has been a pilot project funded by the Home Office with the
Lucy Faithfull Foundation. This piece of work has enabled the unit to make full use of the
considerable expertise of the foundation in its work with sex offenders. A number of
assessments have been undertaken on high-risk offenders who present a risk of harm
to children.

Psychology clinics operate across South Yorkshire and allow public protection panels to draw
upon a growing range of skills and knowledge in putting together plans to manage offenders.

The public protection unit has linked with the University of Sheffield to review its ability to
capture information on offending patterns and the effectiveness of its decision-making.

Alongside these developments the following is planned for 2004-2005:

• Significant work with youth offending services on formalising the links with the public
protection unit.
• The introduction of ViSOR, which is a national database that will allow up-to-date information
to be collated on all offenders subject to public protection arrangements.
• Work will also be undertaken to establish a duty to co-operate on agencies relevant to public
protection work within South Yorkshire and to formalise the role of the prison service in the
responsible authority.
Every crime has a victim and South Yorkshire’s public protection arrangements take the interests Work
of victims extremely seriously.
with
The probation service has a victim unit that keeps victims, subject to their agreement, informed victims
about the offender’s progress through court and sentence. Victims’ views are also taken into
account when conditions are attached to prisoners’ release.

The public protection unit will notify the victim unit of all public protection meetings and
protection plans will always consider how to inform and safeguard the victim.

The following is an example of how this works.

Arnold is an offender posing a high risk of harm who maintained that he would contact Case
his victim (ex-partner) and his children on release from prison. In order to reduce the risk
to the victim as much as possible the public protection panel agreed that the offender study:
would be released to live in a hostel before allowing him to return to his home area. The
victim liaison officer was in regular contact with the victim and gave information on the
decisions of each of the meetings. Although fearful at first, the victim recognised that
Arnold would eventually return to his home and that it was better that this took place
whilst he was on licence so that safeguards were in place. This decision was only reached
after the victim liaison officer saw the victim and all the circumstances discussed. A
number of other safeguards were established with the police. At all times the victim was
given the opportunity to consider the decisions that were being made in this case and
discuss them fully. It was understood that the licence wouldn’t last forever and that by
allowing a move during the licence the agencies involved in the case could monitor the
offender thoroughly and take any actions necessary should he breach his licence
conditions. The offender moved home and the victim experienced no further problems.

Sometimes it is necessary to disclose information to protect the public from harm. Disclosure
At the same time, disclosure might make a situation worse or breach human rights.

Any decision to provide information, for example to a school or an employing organisation, is

taken only after thorough discussion of all the issues involved and an analysis of the benefits
and potential problems.
 Strategic The strategic management board oversees the public protection arrangements in South
management Yorkshire. Its membership is:
board
• The assistant chief officer of probation with responsibility for public protection,
• The detective chief inspector, force intelligence bureau, South Yorkshire Police,
• A prison governor
• A service manager from social services,
• A service manager from housing services,
• A mental health services manager
• Divisional manager for youth offending teams.
• A manager from the South Yorkshire Victim Support Scheme
• A community safety officer from one of the South Yorkshire community safety partnerships
• An independent member from Sheffield University with experience and expertise in the
management of risk

Meeting quarterly, the board receives reports from the public protection manager, advises on
the content and publication of the annual report, monitors and advises on the development of
the public protection unit and champions the arrangements in the sectors from which
membership is drawn.

A significant development for 2004 will be the appointment of two lay advisors to the board.
This will enable suitably experienced members of the public to be part of the management of
how sexual and violent offenders are managed in South Yorkshire.
The following table provides statistical information about sexual, violent and other dangerous Statistical
offenders (Sections 67 & 68 of the Act)
Information
• This year has seen an increase in the number of registered sex offenders. This currently stands
at 682. Whilst hard to predict the reason for the increase it is inevitable that this figure will
grow as the legislation takes hold. Some of the figure can be accounted for by new
offenders. The legislation affects offenders who have been released in to the community, but
may have been sentenced some time previously. The length of time of registration will have a
cumulative effect on growth.
• There were a total of 856 offenders in the community who fell within the MAPPA in South
Yorkshire. Only 90 of these offenders were managed at the level designed for the ‘critical
few’ during 2003-2004. This indicates that whilst the offenders may fit the criteria for MAPPA
their risks are such that the majority can be managed effectively in other ways. Of these 47
were new referrals during that period. New referrals have dropped since last year (90), in part
due to the developing expertise and training within risk assessment and risk management
within South Yorkshire.
• This year has seen a small increase in the use of sex offender orders. The police have acquired
significant expertise in the successful use of these powers to supervise behaviour. All
applications have been successful, which indicates the police's ability to target effectively and
secure good, strong evidence prior to a court hearing. The new powers available within the
Sexual Offences Act 2003 will broaden the availability of these sanctions, and the police are
currently undertaking training in the use of the new orders.
• Although the number of registered sex offenders has gradually risen the number of those
offenders managed at the highest level has decreased from 39 in 2002-2003 to 29 in the
period 2003-2004. This once again indicates the quality of risk management procedures
within the sex offender panels.
• The area has seen a slight increase in the use of restraining orders. These powers will however
be superseded by new powers within the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The public protection
unit is committed to maximising the use of these new powers once they are introduced in
May 2004. Training and briefings will be available for both police and probation staff.
• Recall on prison licence is an important control for MAPPA. During this year a total of 14
offenders were recalled to prison. The reasons for this are usually because their behaviour is
cause for concern. It does not in itself mean that they have committed an offence. The
probation service has developed procedures for dealing effectively with offenders who breach
their licence conditions. Offenders subject to MAPPA will be recalled immediately. This means
a warrant will be issued on the same day as the breach. The relationship between the police
and probation ensures that the offender is arrested promptly.
• In the last year out of the 90 offenders that have been subject to panel meetings one
offender was charged and convicted of a further serious offence. The offender has now been
dealt with by the courts and received a custodial sentence.
 Statistical 1. Category 1 MAPPA offenders: Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs)
Information i) The number of RSOs living in South Yorkshire on 31st March 2004 682

ia) The number of RSOs per 100,000 head of population 52

ii) The number of sex offenders having a registration requirement who

were either cautioned or convicted for breaches of the requirement,
between 1st April 2003 and 31st March 2004 21

iii) The number of full sex offender orders (a) applied for and
(b) imposed by the courts in South Yorkshire between 1st April 2003 and a.6
31st March 2004. b.6

iv) The number of interim sex offender orders (a) applied for and
(b) imposed by the courts in South Yorkshire between 1st April 2003 and a.1
31st March 2004. b.1

2. Category 2: violent offenders and other sexual offenders.

v) The number of violent and other sexual offenders (as defined by Section
68 (3), (4) and (5) of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act (2000))
living in South Yorkshire between 1st April 2003 and 31st March 2004 160

3. Category 3: other offenders

vi) The number of ‘other offenders’ (as defined by Section 67 (2)(b) of the
Criminal Justice and Court Services Act (2000)) between 1st April 2003 and
31st March 2004 14

vii) The number of restraining orders imposed on any MAPPA offenders

by the courts in South Yorkshire between 1st April 2003 and 31st March 2004 2

4. MAPPP cases
viii) Identify how many MAPPA offenders in each of the three categories
(i.e. (i) registered sex offenders, (v) violent and other sexual offenders and
(vi) other offenders above) have been managed through the MAPPP (level 3)
between 1st April 2003 and 31st March 2004.
registered sex offenders 29
violent and other sexual offenders 47
other offenders 14

ix) Of the cases managed by the MAPPP between 1st April 2003 and
31st March 2004 how many, whilst still in the MAPPP:
Were returned to custody for a breach of licence? 12
Were returned to custody for a breach of a restraining order or sex offender order? 0
Were charged with a serious sexual or violent offence? 1
This annual report has shown clearly the wide-ranging co-operation needed to manage the risks Conclusion
posed by dangerous offenders in our communities. The public protection unit is at the heart of
this joint work and has continued to go from strength to strength, improving its expertise in
risk assessment. It is also the main link between risk management and operational policing.

Public protection arrangements are now strongly established in South Yorkshire with all
agencies involved working together consistently. We will continue to develop our operations in
the light of experience and new legislation to make sure that we fulfil our duty to protect the
public from the most dangerous members of our communities.

Max Beatson
Public protection manager
April 2004

Public
South Yorkshire Public Protection Unit
Max Beatson Public Protection Manager
Protection
South Yorkshire Police Headquarters Contacts
Snig Hill
Sheffield
S3 8LY
Tel 0114 2523703 E-mail max.beatson@southyorks.pnn.police.uk

South Yorkshire Police

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Verrall
South Yorkshire Police Head Quarters
Snig Hill
Sheffield
S3 8LY
Tel- 0114 2202020 E-mail simon.verrall@southyorks.pnn.police.uk

The National Probation Service, South Yorkshire

Marion Wright Assistant Chief Officer
Head Office
45 Division Street
Sheffield
S1 4GE
Tel 0114 2766911 E-mail marion.wright@south-yorkshire.probation.gsx.gov.uk
Appendix Sections 67 and 68 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 as re-enacted by
Sections 325-327 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 requires the "responsible authority"
(the chief of police, probation board, and the prison service acting together) to establish and
manage multi-agency arrangements for the assessment and management of violent and sexual
offenders. The Government regards tackling sexual and violent crimes as one of its highest
priorities. Having set up the MAPPA in 2001 – which provided for the first time a firm statutory
basis for the work police and probation jointly undertake to protect the public from sexual and
violent offenders - it has in the last year done a great deal to strengthen the MAPPA and the
wider public protection framework.

The national development of the MAPPA has concentrated on preparing to implement the
MAPPA provisions of the Criminal Justice Act (2003). These provisions came into force on 5th
April 2004 and help strengthen the MAPPA by:

(i) making the prison service part of the ‘responsible authority’ with police and probation;

(ii) formalising the involvement of other agencies which can make an important contribution to
helping offenders not to re-offend - the Act imposes a ‘duty to co-operate’ with the
responsible authority MAPPA upon:

• Local authority housing, education and social services

• Health service bodies
• Jobcentres Plus
• Youth offending teams
• Registered social landlords which accommodate MAPPA offenders, and
• Electronic monitoring providers

(iii) The appointment by the Home Secretary of two members of the public (‘lay advisers’) in
each area to assist in monitoring the effectiveness of the MAPPA.

The introduction of an element of public scrutiny of this often complex and sensitive area of
public protection through the appointment of two lay advisers in each area, has been carefully
and successfully trialled and evaluated.
In addition to this work to strengthen the MAPPA, the Government has also begun to strengthen Other
other statutory provisions, the most significant of which is the Sexual Offences Act (2003) and
legislative
the measures to introduce new sentences for dangerous offenders which will keep them in
custody until they no longer pose a serious risk to the public. measures

The Sexual Offences Act overhauls the many antiquated sexual offences and plugs loopholes in
the law. In updating sexual offences, it strengthens the law on rape and on sex offences against
children. It introduces new offences of ‘sexual grooming’ and extends the protection from
exploitation in prostitution or pornography to children up to the age of 18. For the first time, it
will be an offence to buy sexual services from a child below this age, targeting those who abuse
children in this way.

The Sexual Offences Act also strengthens the sex offenders register, which has proved a valuable
means by which the police can monitor convicted sex offenders within their area, and introduces
new civil orders to help prevent further offences from being committed.

In April 2003, the Home Office issued national guidance to all the 42 areas in England and
Wales outlining the minimum requirements for the successful execution of the duties in Section
67 &68. It also addressed issues of consistency across the areas and formalised a ‘MAPPA
framework’ for: i) the identification of MAPPA offenders; ii) the sharing of relevant information;
iii) the assessment of the risk of serious harm; and iv) the management of that risk.
The guidance brought a structure to risk management procedures across all areas. There are
three levels of risk management:

• Level 1: ordinary risk management, which is the level used in cases in which the risks posed by
an offender can be managed by one agency without actively involving or significantly involving
other agencies.

• Level 2: local inter-agency risk management, which is the level used where the active
involvement of more than one agency is required but where either the level of risk or the
complexity of managing the risk is not so great as to require a referral to Level 3, the Multi
Agency Public Protection Panel (MAPPP).

• Level 3: Multi agency public protection panel, the level responsible for managing the risks
presented by the most dangerous, i.e. the 'critical few'.
 South Yorkshire
Multi - Agency Public
Protection
Arrangements
Annual Report
2003- 2004