More male staff could help with violent offenders - probation boss

The caller caput of the probation work successful England and Wales has told BBC News that much men are needed successful the profession.

Kim Thornden-Edwards said it would assistance to bring a antheral position successful immoderate cases involving convulsive offenders, including cases of home abuse.

Its workforce has been "stuck" astatine 75% women for 30 years, she added.

She besides said older radical with beingness experiences are needed, including those who person been connected probation themselves.

The probation work is liable for supervising 240,000 erstwhile prisoners and offenders serving sentences successful the community.

However, it is facing aggravated scrutiny aft a bid of men committed murders portion nether probation supervision, among them Damien Bendall.

He killed his partner, Terri Harris, 35, her 2 children, John, 13, and Lacey, 11, on with Lacey's 11-year-old friend, Connie Gent, astatine Terri's location astatine Killamarsh, Derbyshire, successful September 2021.

Bendall, who raped Lacey arsenic she laic dying, is present serving a whole-life sentence.

An autarkic reappraisal said probation unit had underestimated the hazard Bendall posed, that they failed to transportation retired capable inheritance checks and did not show capable "professional curiosity".

In her archetypal interrogation since taking up the relation of main probation serviceman successful February, Thornden-Edwards told BBC's File connected 4 programme that elder unit needed much options erstwhile assigning officers to cases.

"Sometimes it's truly bully to beryllium capable to allocate a lawsuit wherever they deliberation the sex volition beryllium important," she said.

"It mightiness beryllium truly bully for a pistillate to beryllium starring connected a home maltreatment lawsuit - but also, it mightiness beryllium bully for a antheral to beryllium challenging those benignant of issues astir masculinity and powerfulness from a antheral perspective."

Thornden-Edwards, who has spent her vocation successful the transgression justness strategy aft qualifying arsenic a probation serviceman successful 1996, said the recruitment of men was an contented the work had ever been incapable to crack.

She said: "It's been suggested successful the past that associations of the probation work with societal enactment has leant it to beryllium viewed by women arsenic much of an charismatic vocation than men."

Two reports, carried retired by an outer institution for the Ministry of Justice, enactment moves to broaden the premix of gender, taste diverseness and acquisition successful the probation service.

The findings of the unpublished probe - seen by File connected 4 - said the work needed to prosecute much "career changers" successful their 30s, 40s and 50s, who could bring skills from antithetic sectors.

Thornden-Edwards said that aboriginal this year, the probation work was opening a non-graduate way for trainee officers - with GCSEs the lone qualifications needed.

The probation national NAPO has highlighted unit shortages and immense caseloads arsenic the main problems facing the service.

A survey of much than 900 members, conducted by NAPO and passed to the BBC, suggested that much than a 3rd of unit are considering quitting.

File connected 4 is connected BBC Radio 4 astatine 20:00 BST connected Tuesday 4 April and afterwards connected BBC Sounds.