Case Studies

Jigsaw Project

Bolton Be Safe Partnership’s Prolific and Other Priority Offenders (PPO) scheme presented a major opportunity to address the re-offending behaviour of a large group of high risk offenders. The scheme, known as the Jigsaw Project, is managed by the Offender Management Unit within Bolton’s Be Safe Partnership and the extra resource and additional posts secured through the project currently ensure that PPOs are given a premium service. Bolton’s PPO scheme is an example of best practice within Greater Manchester and analysis conducted as part of Bolton’s Strategic Threat Assessment (2007/08) suggested that the scheme has reduced both the rate and severity of individual PPO’s offending.

POMIES

The use of accurate and effective data is essential for the management of Prolific and Other Priority Offenders (PPOs) and measures to reduce re-offending. The Priority Offender Management and Information System (POMIES) was designed in Bolton with this purpose in mind, streamlining the vast amounts of data collated on PPOs along the seven RRDP pathways and ensuring that accurate records are maintained of PPO panel meetings and the actions agreed by relevant agencies. The management of data in this way allowed for the expansion of the PPO scheme from 65 to around 100 individuals.

Community Payback

Offending causes great harm to communities, impacting negatively on residents’ quality of life and community confidence. Community payback activity undertaken in Bolton by the Probation Service’s Community Payback Unit has been beneficial both to the community and to offenders in altering offender’s behaviour. Bolton has pioneered the use of Safer Neighbourhood Teams for the joint supervision of offenders and is piloting the use of community panels, allowing communities more say on where community pay back work should be targeted. All this has resulted in high satisfaction levels amongst residents and positive outcomes for offenders which have contributed to reductions in re-offending.

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