25 October 2006

Chief Officers of Probation

INFORMING VICTIMS ABOUT OFFENDERS WHO ABSCOND FROM APPROVED PREMISES

Purpose

1. This note sets out procedures for alerting victims when the perpetrator of an offence absconds from an Approved Premises. It is based on learning points from Serious Further Offence cases.

Target group

2. All Approved Premises staff, offender managers, victim contact staff and senior managers with responsibility for these areas.

Implementation date

3. Immediate

Procedures to be implemented

4. Where victims have opted into victim contact under the statutory scheme, they have a right to be informed when an offender is subject to recall proceedings. In some instances there may be a time lag between an offender absconding from an Approved Premises and being located and returned to custody. This note sets out the processes for ensuring that victims are informed at an appropriate time. It also applies to absconds of Approved Premises residents who are on home leave from Approved Premises or other forms of authorised absence from Premises.

When an immediate risk of harm to victims is identified

5. Where there is an immediate risk of harm to a known victim, for example in a domestic abuse case, the manager or deputy manager should alert the police to the need to make contact with the victim. Where victims’ details are not readily accessible or outside office hours, Approved Premises staff should alert the on-call senior manager who should liaise with colleagues to obtain the necessary information and instigate contact with the police. Where the offender is being managed via MAPPA, then victim contact details should be available to the police as part of the victim protection plan. MAPPPs and Level 2 Panels should ensure these details are available out of hours as part of contingency planning arrangements. It should be noted that at all times victims’ details should be treated as confidential, stored securely and must not be stored with offenders’ records.

6. Probation areas should put in place a local protocol with the police to facilitate the exchange of information and ensure that notification to victims is prioritised.

Other Cases

7.  In other cases, it is the responsibility of Approved Premises staff to notify the appropriate offender manager as soon as possible when a resident has absconded. This should be on the day of the abscond or within one working day. The offender manager must then contact the victim contact officer, on the day of the abscond or within one working day, and advise them of the facts. Where a victim has opted into the victim contact service, then the victim should be advised straightaway that the offender has absconded and kept apprised of significant developments such as the offender’s arrest, recall, return to custody and any subsequent re-release including after a Parole Board decision to accept representations against recall. Contact with the victim should be on the day of the notification or within one working day. Offender managers must therefore ensure that they pass on all relevant details about subsequent developments to victim contact officers as soon as possible. In cases where there are multiple victims, steps must be taken to ensure all victims who have opted for contact are kept fully informed

8. The contents of this note will be incorporated into the forthcoming revision of the Guidance for Victim Contact Officers and the Approved Premises Handbook.

Contacts for further advice

Mike Tennant PPU 0207 217 8226

Felicity Hawksley PPU 0207 217 0670

GORDON DAVISON
DEPUTY HEAD
PPU

Gordon Davison