Cumbria
MULTI-AGENCY PUBLIC PROTECTION
ARRANGEMENTS
CUMBRIA
ANNUAL REPORT
2003 – 2004
CONTENTS
1. Foreword
2. Who we are and what we do in Cumbria
3. Key achievements in Cumbria
4. How MAPPA works in Cumbria
5. The Strategic Management Board
6. Statistical Information
7. Contact details for more information
1. FOREWORD
Sexual and violent crimes deeply affect the lives of their victims and families, and inspire
fear in local communities. The impact of these crimes can be profound and long lasting.
The Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) seek to ensure that
procedures are in place to identify those offenders who may present a risk to the public,
and assess and monitor their presence in the county. It is important that the public is
aware of the efforts all agencies involved make to achieve this and have some idea of the
processes concerned. The last year has seen further advances in the ways the MAPPA
work and in the wider public protection framework, particularly following the provisions of
the Criminal Justice Act (2003).
Cumbria has been one of the pilot areas to use Lay Advisers on their Strategic
Management Board. Lay Advisers are ordinary members of the public who have been
recruited to serve on the Strategic Management Boards. Leo Finn is from Eden and
Lynette Norris from Allerdale and they have added a new dimension to the work of the
Board with their common sense approach and the objective view of people who work
outside statutory agencies. They also open a complex and sensitive area up to public
scrutiny. The concept of Lay Advisers is now to be introduced nationally to help monitor
the effectiveness of the MAPPA.
The Prison Service has always played a key role on the Cumbria Strategic Management
Board and has worked closely with the other agencies down the years. The Service has
an added impetus in that it is recognised by the Act as being part of the “responsible
authority” with police and probation. This liaison helps ensure that before dangerous
offenders are released, there is an awareness of where they will be staying and what
risks they may still present. Other agencies can then make the necessary arrangements
for monitoring and support which are required to successfully manage the offender after
release.
Other agencies are also vital to the process of helping offenders not to re-offend. Local
Housing Associations and Authority Housing, Health Service bodies, Education, Social
Services, and Youth Offending Teams continue to make a great contribution to MAPPA
and in so doing the safety of the public. The involvement of these agencies, recognised
as good practice, has now been formalised by the Criminal Justice Act which places a
“duty to co-operate” on them.
One of the initiatives for the year has been the creation of a multi-agency information
exchange protocol. This has emerged at a time when statutory bodies are coming under
criticism for limitations to information sharing in high profile cases, such as that of Ian
Huntley. The protocols that are being put into place reduce the likelihood of known
dangerous offenders being put into a situation where they have the opportunity to re-
offend or could go unmonitored.
The government rightly places a lot of emphasis on meeting the needs of victims. The
MAPPA in Cumbria go a long way to reducing the adverse effects of crime on victims and
witnesses, and preventing further victimisation. It also encourages more victims and
witnesses to come forward. MAPPA is about protecting the public. People who live and
stay in the county can be confident that the best arrangements possible are in place for
their protection and that the agencies charged with that duty work closely together.
We hope that you find this Annual Report to be informative and encouraging.
Michael Baxter Mike Maiden Ian Lockwood
Chief Constable Chief Officer Area Manager
Cumbria Constabulary Probation Service HM Prison Service
2. WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO IN CUMBRIA
For many years the Police and Probation Services in Cumbria have worked in
partnership to ensure that information on sexual and violent offenders is used to assess
and manage the risks posed by various individuals.
From 1997 onwards, Multi-Agency meetings were set up to effectively supervise and
monitor registered sex offenders and other potentially dangerous offenders.
Those early developments have now become Multi-Agency Public Protection Panels
(MAPPPs) as a result of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. The Act
required Police and Probation to make joint arrangements for the assessment and
management of the risks posed by sexual, violent or other offenders who may cause
serious harm to the public.
In Cumbria a wide range of agencies and organisations have been involved in the panels
since 2003 including the NSPCC, Housing, Social Services, Health Services, H.M
Prisons, Youth Offending Teams, Education, Victims organisations and Lay Members
since 2003.
The MAPPPs in Cumbria are chaired by Senior Managers from either the Probation
Service or the Police. They meet across the county, and involve all relevant organisations
that have something to share or offer in the effective management of the offender. The
aim is to reduce risks and prevent offending.
A countywide protocol sets out how and when panels meet and how referrals to panels
take place. In addition, there is a protocol on the Exchange of Information agreed by all
the key agencies.
The MAPPPs are intended to deal with those individuals who are assessed as presenting
the highest level of risk to the public. As a consequence the panels are usually dealing
with a small number of individuals.
Examples of some cases considered by the panels may be found in the section on ‘How
MAPPA Works in Cumbria’.
3. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN CUMBRIA
During 2003/04 we have seen some significant achievements and progress including:
¾ Greater involvement in the Strategic Management Board (SMB) by agencies who
now have a “duty to co-operate” such as the Health Service and Social Service
¾ The Police representative on the SMB, Superintendent Kirkbride, has been
recognised for his work with the award of the Queen’s Police Medal. Supt
Kirkbride led the investigation into offenders accessing internet pornography sites
and has championed the work of the Multi-Agency Public Protection
Arrangements (MAPPA) in Cumbria.
¾ Cumbria has supported the work of MAPPA within the region and has held a
series of highly successful seminars to improve training and awareness among
local agencies and practitioners.
¾ The two Lay Members of the Strategic Management Board have continued to
provide sound advice to the Board and effective oversight at a strategic level.
¾ The Prison Service has actively supported the MAPPA in Cumbria. A member of
the regional Prison Area Management is an active and supportive member of the
SMB.
¾ The Police and Probation Service have deployed additional cash and resources to
the work of MAPPA by appointing a MAPPA Registrar to co-ordinate the work of
the SMB. In addition, a Senior Probation Officer has been deployed to specifically
lead on Public Protection and Child Protection issues.
¾ The NSPCC and Probation Area have jointly implemented a national accredited
Sex Offender Group Work Programme. The programme is proving to be a
challenging but successful piece of work.
¾ As part of its work to support MAPPA the Probation Area has achieved above the
required performance target for contacting the victims of serious sexual or violent
offenders.
4. HOW MAPPA WORKS IN CUMBRIA
There are many aspects to protecting the public and managing the risks from dangerous,
violent and sexual offenders. In Cumbria Multi-Agency assessment procedures for the
assessment and management of these offenders have improved. Assessment and
management is at three levels.
This structure of risk management is intended to enable resources to be deployed to
manage identified risk in the most efficient and effective manner. The level at which a
case is managed is dependent upon the nature of the risk and how it can be managed –
not all high risk cases will need to be managed by the MAPPA.
Level 1: Ordinary Risk Management
Level 1 risk management is used in cases where the risks posed by the offender can be
managed by one agency without actively or significantly involving other agencies.
Level 1 management primarily involves Probation, Police, Youth Offending Teams or the
Prison Service as the lead agency. Generally, offenders managed at Level 1 will be
assessed as presenting a low or medium risk of causing harm to others.
Level 2: Local Risk Management Meetings
Level 2 risk management is used where the active involvement of more than one agency
is required but where either the level of risk or the complexity of managing the risk is not
so great as to require referral to the Level 3, the MAPPPs.
Risk can and will change, so the means of managing risk can and will change. The
MAPPA provides the framework within which those changes, particularly when they
concern serious risks, can be effectively and consistently managed.
Level 3: Multi-Agency Public Protection Panel
The MAPPP is responsible for the management of the ‘critical few’. The criteria for
referring a case to the MAPPP are defined as:
(i) risk is assessed as being a high or very high risk of causing serious harm; and
(ii) an offender presents risks that can only be managed by a plan which requires
close co-operation at a senior level due to the complexity of the case and/or
because of the unusual resource commitments it requires; or
(iii) the case is exceptional because the likelihood of media scrutiny and/or public
interest in the management of the case is very high an there is a need to
ensure that public confidence in the Criminal Justice System is sustained
Therefore the ‘critical few’ are not exclusively those assessed as high or very high risks,
but in almost all cases they will be.
Assessing the risks
Initial risk assessments on serious violent and sexual offenders are normally undertaken
at the point of sentence in a Pre-Sentence Report. These reports are prepared by the
Probation Service for those aged 18 years or over and by Youth Offending Teams for
those under 18. The reports help the courts determine a suitable sentence. The
Probation staff have extensive experience in working with offenders.
Offenders serving community penalties continue to live and work in communities. They
may live in their own homes or in private rented accommodation. Research shows that
having permanent accommodation and employment is very important in reducing the risk
of re-offending.
If an offender is sent to prison, a further assessment will be carried out if the offender is
to be released subject to a period of supervision by the Probation Service. After release,
depending on the length of the supervision period, the offender will be reassessed for
risks and appropriate public protection plans put in place.
In some cases, offenders considered by a MAPPP are not subject to any statutory
supervision in the community. These are mainly offenders convicted of serious offences
in the past and who have not re-offended, but whose recent behaviour is of sufficient
concern to warrant referral to a MAPPP.
Sexual offenders are additionally required to register under the Sex Offenders Act 1997
and these require joint assessments. The numbers of registered sex offenders will
continue to rise every year for the next few years because the legislation, which brought
about the Sex Offender Register in 1997, did not apply to offenders convicted before that
time, unless they were still under supervision or in custody.
Sharing Information
Public Protection depends upon the effectiveness of the plans MAPPA agencies draw up
to manage each offender’s risks and needs. These plans are in turn dependent upon the
quality of the risk identification and assessment processes; and the quality of both the
risk assessment and the risk management plan are themselves determined by the
effectiveness of information sharing arrangements. Unless all relevant information is
available, in good time, to those making the assessments and drawing up the
management plans, public protection could be compromised. MAPPA in Cumbria is
based on the need to share information appropriately and within its lawful authorities.
Disclosure of Information
Information sharing must have lawful authority, be necessary, be proportionate and done
in ways which ensure the safety and security of the information shared. The process
must also be accountable to relevant authorities.
There may be some cases where the management of an offender’s risk in the community
cannot be carried out without the disclosure of some information to a third party outside
of the MAPPA agencies. For example, where an employer, voluntary group organiser or
church leader has a position of responsibility for the offender and disclosure to them of
certain information about the offender is the only way to manage that risk. If such a
course of action is required, it must be part of a risk management plan.
In very rare cases of predatory sex offenders there may be disclosure to schools in a
particular neighbourhood. A letter has been used in such circumstances for use by Head
Teachers to alert parents and carers to the potential danger to children.
There are protocols in place with the local media. Disclosure rarely means providing
information to the media, and is usually on a one-to-one basis handled sensitively by
professionals involved. The media may be involved to assist public protection by wide
coverage of an individual case. They can also play a major role in helping to alert the
public. For example, if an offender fails to comply with supervision and his whereabouts
become unknown, appeal for information may be made through the media. This means
the public can help track down the offender and protect other people. This has not been
required in Cumbria since the introduction of MAPPA.
In 2000, a media protocol between the Police, Probation and the local and regional
media was put in place. This has helped to ensure that the media are more informed
about how agencies co-operate to manage in the community and how media coverage
can both help and hinder their supervision. The protocol also sets out what assistance
Police and Probation will give to the media. All local newspapers and broadcasters are
signed up to the protocol and it has been very successful in improving relationships
between the media, Police and Probation in Cumbria.
The following case studies are examples of offenders being managed under the MAPPA
in Cumbria.
Case Study 1
A is a 27 year old man with previous convictions for serious violent assaults on members
of his family and the public. He has previously been recalled to prison when subject to a
post custodial licence. He is currently serving a 27 month sentence of imprisonment for a
violent assault.
During the prison sentence the victims of A have been kept informed of developments
and plans for his release. Restraining orders and special conditions in A’s licence have
been obtained as part of the multi-agency risk management process. An alarm has also
been fitted in one former victim’s home.
The multi-agency meetings have included representatives of the Mental Health Services,
Housing providers and victims representatives as well as the Police and Probation.
The victims and members of A’s family feel reassured that everything has been done to
protect them in the event of A committing further offences on release from prison.
Case Study 2
B is a 36 year old male with an offending history that included Armed Robbery, Wounding
and cruelty to animals. B was also described as having a “gross personality disorder”.
After serving a term of 11 years imprisonment B was released in June 2003.
By means of careful assessment and management involving Prison staff, the Police,
Probation, Mental Health and Housing B was required to reside at Approved Premises in
Cumbria and eventually rehoused to a supported tenancy of his own. The licence
conditions specifically required B to reside only where directed by his supervising
Probation Officer, and to co-operate with Mental Health support. It was expected that B
would reoffend almost immediately on release and there were real concerns for his
mental health. However due to the support of the agencies and practitioners involved in
the MAPPA, B has had the longest offence free period in the community of his adult life.
In addition he is responding well to medical support and maintaining his tenancy
agreement with the housing provider.
Case Study 3
C is a 64 year old male who was convicted of serious sexual assaults against boys under
the age of 16 between 1974 and 1985. C was made subject to a Community
Rehabilitation Order for 2 years and ordered to attend a Sex Offender Treatment
Programme in Cumbria.
The MAPP meeting convened on C identified that C still represented a risk and therefore
regular joint visits by Police and Probation Officers were made to his home address to
ensure his family and friends were aware of their responsibilities in regard to young
children.
C successfully completed the Sex Offender Programme and there have been no
increased levels of risk. He continues to be monitored by Police, Probation and the
NSPCC.
Case Study 4
D was released from an 8 year sentence for Grievous Bodily Harm. He was subject to
MAPPPs within the Prison, which were attended by the Probation Service and Police
from Cumbria. This man was assessed as being a very high risk offender who would
seek to commit further serious offences against the victim and her family. Upon release it
was made very clear to D that should he commit further offences or approach the victim
the Sentence Enforcement Unit would be advised and he would be recalled immediately
to Prison.
Within two weeks D committed a comparatively minor assault. Police and Probation
liaised with the latter informing the SEU and seeking immediate recall to prison. This was
granted by the Parole Board and D was arrested and returned to Prison to serve the
remainder of his sentence. Prior to release he will again be subject to a further risk
assessment and the creation of a risk management plan to reduce his likelihood of re-
offending.
5. THE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT BOARD
In Cumbria a Strategic Management Board oversees MAPPA. Representatives of all the
agencies involved in MAPPPs sit on the Board, together with Lay Members who were
first appointed in 2002.
The Board is jointly led by a Superintendent from Cumbria Police, an Assistant
Chief Officer from the National Probation Service (Cumbria) and a Senior Manager from
HM Prison Service. Other members of the board include representation of local authority
housing, NSPCC, Youth Offending Team and Social Services.
The SMB monitors and reviews the effectiveness of the local MAPPPs to ensure
consistency of practice and procedure, and to promote communication and information
sharing between the agencies involved.
The role of the two Lay Members, who were recruited in 2002 and attended their first
meeting in January 2003, has been further enhanced during the last 12 months. They
bring a unique perspective to the Board. Lay Members encourage greater openness and
transparency in the work of MAPPA, make decision makers more accountable, bring
community views to the development of MAPPA and scrutinise the process, priorities and
working methods of MAPPPs.
Membership of the Board continues to be reviewed
Leo Finn, Lay Adviser to the Strategic Management Board states that;
“Good training is critical if a Lay person is to contribute to the effective oversight of the
work being done. I found that attending meetings of professionals discussing the
potential problems arising out of the release of serious offenders very instructive. In
particular, one observed the high degree of mutual dependence between the agencies
involved and their willingness to work together to ensure that the protection afforded to
the public was based on a real assessment of risks”.
Senior managers from Police, Probation and Prison Service meet regularly on a NW
regional basis to look at the strategic implications of development of MAPPA to
ensure consistent implementation of national policy.
The SMB identified during the year that there needed to be closer co-ordination, at a
strategic level of the management of services for Children and Vulnerable Persons in
Cumbria. The SMB therefore initiated the creation of the Vulnerable Persons Strategic
Group in Cumbria to ensure that effective links between Child and Adult Protection
Services and the MAPPA are in place.
In order to inform the work of all agencies involved in the Criminal Justice System the
SMB has provided reports to the Area Criminal Justice Board and relevant Chief Officers
in the county.
6. STATISTICAL INFORMATION
Information provided to the Public Protection and Courts Unit is contained within the
Annual Report’s Statistical Information.
The presentation of statistics has developed from previous years and it is important to
remember that generally the total number of violent and sexual offenders is a small
proportion of the general public as a whole.
MAPPA ANNUAL REPORTS STATISTICAL INFORMATION ANNEX A
Required for the reporting period 1st APRIL 2003 - 31st MARCH 2004
The statistical information you will be required to publish in next year’s report will be the same as this year – but simplified in respect of the Category 2 MAPPA offenders. We
consulted widely about the simplified Category 2 figure and believe it will be much easier to collate and more meaningful.
Type your area name here: Cumbria
Question number of offenders
1. Category 1 MAPPA offenders: Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs)
i) The number of RSOs living in your Area on 31st March 2004. 231
This is information principally held by the police and is a snapshot of RSOs on 31/3/04. It should NOT include RSOs in prison.
ia) The number of RSOs per 100'000 head of population. (This figure will be calculated centrally by NPD) 47
ii) The number of sex offenders having a registration requirement who were either cautioned or convicted for breaches of the
requirement, between 1st April 2003 and 31st March 2004 10
Only those cautions that have actually taken place and breaches that have been successfully completed during the reporting period should be counted
iii) The number of full Sex Offender Orders (a) applied for and (b) imposed by the courts in your Area between 1st April 2003 a) 1
and 31st March 2004. b) 1
iv) The number of interim Sex Offender Orders (a) applied for and (b) imposed by the courts in your Area between 1st April a) 0
2003 and 31st March 2004. b) 0
2. Category 2: violent offenders and other sexual offenders.
v) The number of violent and other sexual offenders (as defined by Section 68 (3), (4) and (5) of the Criminal Justice and
Court Services Act (2000)) living in your Area between 1st April 2003 and 31st March 2004 123
You should include in this figure only those Category 2 offenders who are living in your Area during the reporting period. You should NOT include, as
previously required, those Category 2 offenders who are still in custody. Care must also be taken NOT to include here any Category 1 offenders.
3. Category 3: Other offenders
vi) The number of ‘other offenders’ (as defined by Section 67 (2)(b) of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act (2000))
between 1st April 2003 and 31st March 2004. 1
This figure cannot include any offenders who are included in either the Category 1 or 2 (i.e. (i) and (v) above)
vii) The number of Restraining Orders imposed on any MAPPA offenders by the courts in your Area between 1st April 2003
and 31st March 2004. 0
This figures should only include orders issued under section 5A of the Sex Offender Act 1997(as amended by the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act
2000) and to offenders living in the community
4. MAPPP cases
(viii) Identify how many MAPPA offenders in each of the three Categories (i.e. (i)- RSOs, (v)- V&O and (vi)- OO above) have RSO 12
been managed through the MAPPP (level 3) between 1st April 2003 and 31st March 2004. V&O 22
OO 1
This figure is the ‘critical few’. The criteria for referring a case to the MAPPP are defined in MAPPA Guidance as those in which the offender:
is assessed under OASys as being a high or very high risk of causing serious harm; AND
presents risks that can only be managed by a plan which requires close co-operation at a senior level due to the complexity of the case and/or because
of the unusual resource commitments it requires; OR
although not assessed as a high or very high risk, the case is exceptional because the likelihood of media scrutiny and/or public interest in the
management of the case is very high and there is a need to ensure that public confidence in the criminal justice system is sustained.
ix) Of the cases managed by the MAPPP (i.e. (viii)) between 1st April 2003 and 31st March 2004 how many, whilst still in the
MAPPP:
Were returned to custody for a breach of licence? a) 5
Were returned to custody for a breach of a restraining order or sex offender order? b) 0
Were charged with a serious sexual or violent offence? c) 2
For these purposes a serious sexual and violent offence is one of the following (i.e. the same offences as used to trigger reporting in the National Probation
Service as a ‘serious further offence’:
Murder; Attempted murder; Arson (where there is an intent to endanger life); Manslaughter; Rape;
Kidnap/abduction or attempted kidnap/abduction.
Any other very serious violent or very serious sexual offence, armed robbery (defined as robbery involving a firearm), assault with a deadly weapon or
hostage taking.
Any other violent or sexual offence where the offender/ offence is likely to attract significant media interest or which raises wider issues of national
interest.
7. CONTACT DETAILS FOR MORE INFORMATION
Assistant Chief Officer
National Probation Service
Cumbria Area Headquarters
Lime House
Wetheral
Cumbria
CA4 8EW
Superintendent (Operations)
Cumbria Constabulary
Police Headquarters
Carleton Hall
Penrith
Cumbria
CA10 2AU
NW Area Office
HM Prison Service
Stirling House
Ackhurst Business Park
Foxhole Road
Chorley
PR7 1NY
Any further information can be obtained from the MAPPA Registrar at Kendal Probation
Office, Busher Lodge, 149 Stricklandgate, Kendal, LA9 4RF Tel: 01539 723126.
