Member

I do not shy away from the reality that an increase in the number of offenders managed in the community will place additional demands on the Probation Service. It is vital that the Probation Service is properly equipped and resourced to deliver this change effectively. We are already making progress to rebuild the Probation Service’s capacity. We are committed to recruiting 1,300 trainee probation officers in 2025-26 to help meet additional demand, having exceeded our ambition to recruit 1,000 trainees last year. We are reducing the administrative burden on probation officers by investing an initial £8 million in pilots of new technology. This will allow probation officers to focus more of their time on those higher-risk offenders, who need closer supervision to reduce the risk they pose.