Teesside

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements

Annual Report 2003 to 2004

NATIONAL PROBATION SERVICE

for England and Wales

Enforcement, rehabilitation and public protection

TEESSIDE

Putting People First

1. Contents
Introduction

What is MAPPA?

Local Arrangements

The Focus on Victims

What has happened in the last year

Strategic Management Board

The Future

Statistical Information

Contacts
2. Introduction
The joint arrangements between the Police and Probation
Service for the assessment and management of those
offenders who fall under the MAPPA have continued to develop
over the past year. These developments have culminated in
the creation of a joint Public Protection Unit (staffed by Police
and Probation) located in Middlesbrough. This unit is building
on existing working arrangements to provide for even closer
working in the shared aim of protecting the public and
preventing re-offending. The report itself will provide some
specific examples of how this ‘working together’ has resulted in
swift action by Police and/or Probation where necessary.

Other agencies have also joined the Strategic Management

Board to ensure that the needs of the offender and those of the
wider community and victims are addressed and balanced.
From April 2004 the Prison Service also joins Police and
Probation as ‘responsible authorities’ to ensure that we can
improve the assessment and management of those offenders
who are released from custody and who are resettled into local
communities.

The work of the Strategic Management Board will be further

strengthened by the appointment over coming months of Lay
Advisers, following the successful piloting of such
arrangements in a number of other areas. Two Lay Advisers,
who will not have any involvement in the Criminal Justice
System, will be recruited from within the local community.
Recruitment to these key roles will begin shortly and we look
forward to the important perspective that these people will
bring. They will ensure that the voice of the community will be
represented on the Board and will also bring a degree of
challenge to the approaches of the statutory agencies involved
in protecting the public from violent and sexual offenders.

We will never totally eliminate risk from our community, but we

hope that this report will reassure you about the strength of the
arrangements that exist in Cleveland to protect the public and
make our communities safer.

Elaine Lumley Sean Price

Chief Offficer Chief Constable
National Probation Service – Teesside Cleveland Police
3. What is MAPPA?
The Criminal Justice and Court
Services Act 2000 imposed a duty
on each of the 42 police and
probation areas to work together to
protect the public from offenders
who might cause serious harm to
the public.
4. Local Arrangements
Multi-Agency Public Protection
Procedures have been agreed
locally by all agencies who could be
involved in the assessment and
management of offenders who might
pose a risk of serious harm. The
procedures have been endorsed by:
● Social Services
● Youth Offender Service
● Strategic Health Authority
● NSPCC
● Tees and North East Yorkshire
NHS Trust
● Local Authority Chief Executives
● Directors of Housing
● Electronic Monitoring Providers
● Education
● HMP Prison Service
● Cleveland Police
● National Probation Service –
Teesside
Whenever a person who is thought
to be a risk of serious harm to others
is in the community or is due to be
released from prison, a referral is
made to the Police and Probation
Service who will then convene a
multi-agency meeting.
MAPPA actually stands for “Multi-
Agency Public Protection
Arrangements”. The arrangements
in local areas were introduced in
April 2001. MAPPA is the
recognised term to describe the
arrangements set up locally to
There are two levels of meetings in
Teesside:
Multi-Agency Public Protection Panel
(MAPPP)
These meetings take place to
manage the risk posed by very high
risk offenders, commonly referred to
as the ‘critical few’ and who present
an imminent risk of causing serious
harm
Risk Management Meeting (RMM)
These meetings occur to manage
the risk posed by high risk offenders,
where the likelihood of any harm
occurring is not imminent, but there
is the potential for the individual
concerned to cause harm in the
future.
Invitations to MAPPPs and RMMs
are extended to all agencies who are
currently involved with the offender
and those who could offer a service
as part of the risk management plan.
At the meeting all information is
shared so that an assessment of the
risk the offender poses to anyone
else can be made. The information
might be about:
assess and manage sexual and
violent offenders in the community.
● How they have behaved in the
past
● Who their victims were
● Any potential future victims
● Whether the offender is in contact
with others who may be harmful
● Whether they are making threats
to other people
● Whether they have somewhere
suitable to live
● Whether they are known to use
drugs or drink alcohol
● Any health problems, particularly
mental health and whether they
are receiving treatment
Agencies such as police, probation,
housing, health, social services and
prison are working more closely than
ever before to share information in
order to build a picture of the risks
an individual presents and what
circumstances and problems may
increase or decrease the risks. At
both the MAPPP and the RMM a
Risk Management Plan is formulated
with each agency agreeing to
contribute resources if appropriate.
Some of the actions could be police
surveillance, attendance at a
treatment programme, hostel
accommodation, or in some cases, a
recall to prison where the offender is
demonstrating a lack of willingness
to comply, or behaviour which is
considered too serious for the
person to remain in the community.
All meetings consider the issue of
disclosure very seriously, taking into
account possible future victims and
the identification of other agencies
who may need to know about the
risks posed by the offender.
Procedural guidelines exist to ensure
any disclosures made are legal,
justified, necessary and
proportionate.
All the decisions and actions of both
MAPPPs and RMMs are recorded
and a date set to meet and review
progress. Meetings will continue
until the person is no longer
considered a danger to others.
The following are examples of work
carried out as a result of the
Teesside Multi-Agency Public
Protection arrangements.
EXAMPLE A:
Bill had 17 convictions from 1988 to
1999, including dishonesty, violence
and criminal damage. He had a long
history of drug misuse and mental
health problems requiring
medication. In 1999 Bill was
sentenced to two years
imprisonment for Threats to Kill. He
was subject to a Multi-Agency Public
Protection Panel and registered as a
very high risk offender. On release
from custody, the Risk Management
Plan involved close scrutiny of Bill’s
contact with his previous victim. As
soon as Bill breached his licence by
contacting his victim, immediate
steps were taken to recall him to
prison. Bill was subsequently
released again from custody and
maintained a period of stability whilst
receiving mental health
interventions. At this point he was
assessed as high risk by a Risk
Management Meeting. Continued
emphasis on monitoring Bill’s
movements and behaviour has been
the priority and he remains subject to
Risk Management Meetings.
EXAMPLE B:
Mark was sentenced to a 2 year
Community Rehabilitation Order for
an offence of Unlawful Wounding in
2003, where he had assaulted his
elderly mother. Mark has a history
of violence towards her, including
verbal abuse, although he had no
other previous convictions and he
was, at the time, her main carer.
Concern was raised that Mark was
still living with his mother and was
continuing to consume high levels of
alcohol. A referral was made into
MAPPA and he was initially
registered as Very High Risk by a
MAPPP, given the vulnerability of his
elderly mother, over familiarity with
his mother’s carers and his
continuing heavy use of alcohol.
At the MAPPP, a Risk Management
Strategy was formulated which
included Probation, Police and,
importantly, Home Carers and Social
Services. This included both
planned and unplanned home visits,
co-ordinated joint visits with Home
Care Staff and weekly contact with
Probation in order to monitor his
drinking, behaviour and home
situation, and the allocation of a
Social Worker to review any support
available to Mark.
By December it was agreed that the
level of risk Mark presented had
reduced due to the success of the
Risk Management Plan, and his
level of risk was reduced to High
Risk. Three month reviews continue
to be held and strategies remain in
place to protect both his mother and
Home Carers.
It must be remembered that we can
never eliminate all the risks posed by
high and very high risk offenders, but
what we do now is more effective
than what we were able to do before.
What is critical is the co-operation
and joint working of all agencies to
work together to protect the public.
Two offenders considered by
MAPPA in 2003/4 have committed
further serious offences. The
MAPPP ensures that closer
supervision results in earlier,
carefully planned action which can
lead to a further charge, conviction
through the Courts, a further prison
sentence, and in many cases, recall
to custody.
The cases where a further serious
offence occurred involved the
following multi-agency work which
focussed on managing the risks and
reacting quickly when the further
offences occurred.
EXAMPLE C:
Matthew has a long history of violent
offences. The most recent offence
resulting in a Community
Rehabilitation Order involved an
assault against his partner. Further
assaults on his partner continued
and Risk Management Meetings
were convened. Plans were put in
place to protect the victim including
the involvement of the Police
Domestic Violence Unit, focused
Probation work on challenging
violent attitudes, as well as ensuring,
as far as possible, contact between
the offender and the victim was
monitored. At regular multi-agency
meetings information was shared
which increased Matthew’s risk to
very high. Despite a period of
stability when he was complying
with the Risk Management Plan, he
re-offended and was immediately
remanded to custody and is now
serving a lengthy prison sentence.
EXAMPLE D:
John was convicted of sexual
offences against children, and was
given a Community Sentence.
Initially John was working with
agencies to control his behaviour
and he was registered as high risk
by a Risk Management Meeting. He
was subsequently discovered
viewing child pornography on the
internet. Due to continuing concerns
expressed by a range of agencies, a
MAPPP was held and he was
assessed as very high risk. John
again re-offended and served a
prison sentence for Indecent
Assault. Further MAPPP meetings
were held on his release from prison
and as soon as it became apparent
that his behaviour was deteriorating,
action was taken to investigate his
involvement with others and he was
arrested and is currently remanded
in custody, charged with further
offences awaiting trial. The MAPPP
enabled information to be shared
quickly and immediate police action
followed.
Those offenders considered by
MAPPA represent a very small
number of offenders supervised by
the Probation Service, and smaller
again in respect of all those
convicted by the Courts. In
Teesside from April 2003 to March
2004 only 16 people were
considered by the highest level
meeting, MAPPP, and thus
considered the ‘Critical Few’. Two of
these went on to commit a further
serious offence. In respect of those
referred to MAPPA nationally
research has shown that less than
2% are charged with further
offences. There are more registered
sex offenders than last year, but this
is to be expected as more people
are sentenced at Court who are now
registered where previously there
was no requirement to register prior
to the Sex Offences Act 1997. The
registration period for sex offenders
is a long one and, therefore, the
figure is likely to rise year after year
as people will remain on the register.

5. The Focus on Victims

When an offender is sentenced to
more than 12 months in prison for a
sexual or violent offence, it is the job
of the Victim Liaison Officer,
employed by NPS – Teesside, to
contact the victim and keep them
informed of what is happening
throughout the offender’s sentence,
if the victim wishes to receive this
information.
The Victim Liaison Officer will offer
victims the opportunity to receive
information regarding the different
stages in an offender’s custodial
sentence. This will include notifying
the victim about significant aspects
of release arrangements. They will
also represent any victim issues at
Multi-Agency Public Protection
Panels and make suggestions
regarding licence conditions that
could continue to protect victims
from offenders.
Victim Liaison Officer work is an the after effects of offences
integral part of our public protection perpetrated against them.
processes. Multi-agency public
protection meetings seek information
about victim issues. This information
is then carefully considered when
managing the risk an offender
poses. Liaison occurs with other
agencies particularly the police and
Victim Support to ensure full
information is available to assess
any risks presented by the offender.
The Victim Liaison Officer
contributes victims’ views to the
decision making within public
protection work and acts as a link
between the multi-agency public
protection process and victims. It is
also vital that victims have as much
support as possible and the National
Probation Service – Teesside works
very closely with Victim Support to
ensure victims receive as much
support as they need to cope with
6. What has happened in the last year
In the last twelve months, the Multi-
Agency Public Protection
Arrangements have been
strengthened by greater involvement
by other agencies in the Strategic
Management Board. This Board
meets quarterly and sets a work plan
for the following twelve months.
Significant achievements from the
work plan in 2003/4 have been:
MONITORING AND REVIEW
GROUP
This group, which includes Social
Services, Police and Probation,
assesses the work of the agencies
involved in MAPPA through a
sampling exercise every 8 weeks. A
standard audit tool is used to assess
appropriate decision making in
respect of referrals, risk
assessments and plans to manage
7. Strategic Management Board
The development of this forum has
moved at a pace in recent months.
Key agencies are involved in the
group and have responsibility for the
oversight of arrangements put in
place to manage serious sexual,
violent and other dangerous
offenders. This group comprises
senior managers from Probation,
Police, Prison Service, Social
Services, Health, voluntary sector,
specifically NSPCC and Victim
Support, Housing, Youth Offender
Service and Securicor.
the risk. Health are due to join this
group in 2004/5. The wide range of
professionals involved enables a
wider perspective on defensible
decision making in respect of risk
assessment.
PROCEDURES GROUP
NSPCC, Prisons, Police and
Probation have completely reviewed
the procedures in Teesside in order
to incorporate all new guidance and
legislation in respect of MAPPA and
sexual offences.
LINKS WITH ACPC
Formal agreements are now in place
to link public protection and child
protection procedures. This is
particularly important to ensure
appropriate safe-guarding of all
children from potentially dangerous
offenders.
JOINT POLICE/PROBATION UNIT
Teesside will soon benefit from
closer joint working as the Probation
Public Protection Team and
Cleveland Police Violent and Sex
Offender Unit will work together from
one shared unit. The introduction of
VISOR, a unique computerised
system to track violent and sex
offenders, will also be based in this
unit in the future and will enhance
the work of MAPPA.
AUDIT OF PUBLIC PROTECTION
WORK
This external audit highlighted a
sound approach is being adopted in
Teesside to manage public
protection issues.
8. The Future
Future activity for the SMB in 2004
will be the appointment of two Lay
Advisers. These individuals will be
chosen from the local community
and will enable some form of public
insight into, and contribution to,
MAPPA. Lay Advisers will become
part of each area’s MAPPA Strategic
Management Board, and will assist
the Board in the formal review of
arrangements to assess and
manage the risks posed by sexual
and violent offenders. This role will
be an important addition to the
Strategic Management Board with
the aim of ensuring some
involvement by the public in public
protection arrangements. The
Strategic Management Board will be
involved in recruitment selection and
training of lay Advisers and are keen
to work with the local community to
reassure us all about the
arrangements in place to manage
potentially dangerous offenders. It is
hoped that lay advisers will help give
the public a deeper insight into the
work of MAPPA.
Alongside the appointment of Lay
Advisers, the implementation of the
Criminal Justice Act 2003 and the
Sexual Offences Act 2003 will
strengthen Multi-Agency Public
Protection Arrangements by
introducing sentences for dangerous
offenders which will keep them in
prison until they no longer present a
serious risk, tightening up sex
offender registration requirements
and introducing a new offence of
grooming.
Further developments in 2004/5 will
concentrate on managing the risks
posed by violent offenders and
particularly those involved in
domestic violence. The new
legislation on domestic violence will
be a welcome addition to the
legislation currently available to
manage violent and sexual offenders.
A further development in 2004
following the implementation of the
Criminal Justice Act 2003 on
5 April 2004 will be the involvement
of the Prison Service as part of the
Responsible Authority alongside
police and probation.
Teesside MAPPA already has good
working relationships with the two
local prisons who have been
involved in the SMB for several
years. Sharing responsibility with
the prisons for MAPPA can only
continue to strengthen public
protection in Teesside.
In addition to the above the Criminal
Justice Act 2003 also formalises the
involvement of other agencies which
can make an important contribution
to helping offenders not to reoffend.
The Act imposes a “Duty to Co-
operate” with the Responsible
Authority upon:
● Local Authority, Housing,
Education and Social Services
● Health Service Bodies
● Job Centres Plus
● Youth Offending Teams
● Registered Social Landlords
● Electronic Monitoring Providers
The “Duty to Co-operate” will
formalise current good practice
demonstrated by a range of
agencies in Teesside.
9. Statistical Information Number of offenders

Category 1: MAPPA offenders: Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs)

i. The number of RSOs living in the Teesside area on 31 March 2004 339

(a) RSOs per 100,000 population 61

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

were either cautioned or convicted for breaches of the requirement, 4
between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2004

iii. The number of full Sex Offender Orders (a) applied for and (b) imposed
by the courts in Teesside between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2004:

(a) The total number applied for 1

(b) The total number imposed by the courts 0

iv. The number of interim Sex Offender Orders (a) applied for and
(b) imposed by the courts in Teesside between 1 April 2003 and
31 March 2004:

(a) The total number applied for 1

(b) The total number imposed by the courts 1

Category 2: violent offenders and other sexual offences

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 136
(2000)) living in your Area between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2004
 Number of offenders

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 1 April 2003 31
and 31 March 2004

vii. The number of Restraining Orders imposed on any MAPPA offenders 3

by the courts in Teesside between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2004

Category 4: MAPPP cases

viii. The number of MAPPA offenders in the three categories above

((i) RSOs, (v) violent and other sexual offenders and (vi) other
offenders) who have been managed through the MAPPP (level 3)
between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2004:

(a) RSOs 8

(b) Violent and other sexual offenders 1

(c) Other offenders 7

ix. Of the cases managed by the MAPPP (ie (viii) between 1 April 2003 and
31 March 2004 the following, whilst still in the MAPPP, were:

(a) Returned to custody for a breach of licence 4

(b) Returned to custody for a breach of a restraining order or sex 0

offender order

(c) Charged with a serious sexual or violent offence 2

Contacts
National Probation Service - Teesside Address Phone

Assistant Chief Officer Probation House 01642 230533

2 Longlands Road
Middlesbrough
TS4 2JL

Cleveland Police Address Phone

Detective Inspector PO Box 70 01642 301450

Ladgate Lane
Middlesbrough
TS8 9EH

Victim Support and Witness Service Teesside Address Phone

Co-ordinator Briargate 01642 293000

4 Longlands Road
Middlesbrough
TS4 2JL

HM Prison Service Address Phone

Area Manager Artemis Court 0191 378 6000

Meadowfield
DURHAM
DH7 8XQ
NATIONAL PROBATION SERVICE
for England and Wales

Enforcement, rehabilitation and public protection

TEESSIDE

Putting People First