Probation officers strike for 24 hours over privatisation plan

The strike, called by the National Association of Probation Officers (Napo) - the trade union for Probation and Family Court staff – was to protest against Government plans to privatise 70 per cent of the Probation Service.
The Ministry of Justice plan, headed by Secretary of State Chris Grayling, will see the management of medium- and low-risk offenders handed over to newly-formed Community Rehabilitation Trusts by April next year, which will then be contracted out to private bidders by April 2015.
Among those who walked out of Newbury Probation Office to join the main Thames Valley Napo rally in Oxford city centre on Tuesday was probation officer Catriona Reeves (pictured).
Ms Reeves said: “I became a probation officer because I felt that I had the skills to work with some of the most challenging people in society, engage with them, manage and reduce their risk, and hopefully do my bit to protect the public.
"And I want to be able to continue to do this as part of an organisation with an internationally respected track record for doing so."
While Napo is still in negotiations with the Ministry Of Justice, the union said it felt that at this stage it must highlight the dangers of privatising the Probation Service.
On announcing the strike last week, the general secretary of Napo, Ian Lawrence, said: “Our members don’t take the decision to strike lightly, but they feel so strongly about the privatisation of the Probation Service and the impact this will have on community safety, that they feel they have no choice.”
This is only the fourth time in Napo’s 101 year history that the union has announced industrial action, with the strike being support by 7,500 members in England and Wales.
Ms Reeves said: “G4S and Serco will almost certainly win all the 20-odd contracts.
“I don't want to work for either G4S or Serco but, more importantly, I don't think that public protection should be put in their hands.
“The Government says that this will allow more voluntary and charity organisations to get involved with offenders. No bad thing.
“But why is it considered that G4S and Serco will be better at sub-contracting to the third sector than existing Probation trusts?
“Maybe you think ‘Well, maybe Probation are doing a rubbish job’. But we're not. Each trust was graded between good and excellent last year.
“And the figures that the Government quote about high rates of reoffending among those sentenced to less than 12 months in prison isn't of our doing, as they are currently released without licence.”