Campaigners against Chris Grayling’s plans to privatise 70 per cent of the probation service said people were "very concerned" when they took to the streets of his constituency.
The Surrey and Sussex branch of Napo, the professional association for probation staff, spent Saturday morning handing out leaflets and speaking to people about the potential changes in and around Epsom high street.
They believe plans to hand contracts currently held by public sector probation staff to private security firms such as G4S and Serco, by October 2014, on a payment-by-results basis, could lead to an increase in crime.
They fear unqualified staff would be working with low-to-medium risk offenders, including violent and sex offenders, burglars and the perpetrators of domestic violence.
Catherine Neubert, vice chairman of the branch, said many people were "interested, took leaflets and came to speak with us".
The 54-year-old said: "Many had not realised what was going on and are very concerned. They had heard about the fiasco with G4S at the Olympics."
Ms Neubert said that, if the reforms go ahead, a "pool of shared knowledge and expertise", gained through extensive training, studying and experience on-the-job, will disappear - a significant loss because "offenders’ level of risk can change quite rapidly".
She said: "We have studied criminology and psychology, we are trained in identifying and assessing the factors which leads to an increased risk."
She has slammed the Justice Secretary’s plans as being ideologically driven and believes that private companies would be reluctant to refer offenders back to the national probation service if their level of risk increases to ‘high’ as they would be paid by results.
Ms Neubert added: "We have a very structured training and management process meaning that probation officers are assessed by superiors regularly.
"We also have to have experience on our CVs showing we are dedicated to the job before we are trained.
"Employees of private companies may not have that same passion."
She recalled the case of a drug user with 98 previous convictions who "has never been in trouble" since completing his probation order and who now works in youth clubs talking to children about the risks of crime. The Probation Service helped him to get off drugs completely.
Chris Grayling: "Huge gap in the system must be addressed"
But, speaking to the Epsom Guardian yesterday, Mr Grayling was adamant that his proposals will reduce crime and provide support for tens of thousands more prisoners to go straight.
He said: "People in prison for less than 12 months, about 40,000 a year, get no supervision at all and 60 per cent of them reoffend within a year.
"It is a huge gap in the system which must be addressed.
"We detain and release prisoners all over the country with no real plan made before they are released, no support for them before or after. I want them to be met at the prison gates by someone who they have already been working with in prison before their release.
"Prisoners also need mentoring and support after they leave prison to sort their lives out, make sure they have somewhere to live, book a place in rehab. I want this to be from former offenders who have gone straight."
He said his reforms would involve the private and voluntary sector working alongside the public sector, with the latter continuing to manage high-risk offenders.
When asked whether the private and voluntary sectors are the most appropriate to deal with those including violent and sex offenders, he said: "We have to look at how we can turn around the lives of those people."
Mr Grayling added: "It means doing things differently. It does mean taking a system which is quite bureaucratic and making it less so, so we can afford to expand the support given to prisoners.
"It doesn’t mean wholesale reform and the sacking of lots of probation officers. The system will change, evolve and develop."
Ms Neubert said Napo’s Surrey and Sussex branch, part of a national campaign, is still considering their next steps but is urging people to sign an e-petition to trigger a debate about the issue in parliament.
It will also have a stall, alongside public sector trade union Unison, at the Epsom and Ewell Fun Day, to be held at the Hook Road Arena on Sunday, September 22.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel