THE PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1977. Too few probation officers

Press, 24 February 1977, Page 16

THE PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1977. Too few probation officers

Probation officers continue to battle for an improvement in the conditions under which they work. In effect, they are also trying to give more thorough and considered service to the courts and to the people put under their supervision.

The officers’ demands for more help in their ranks have been voiced repeatedly over several years, and some improvement has been made in the number of people in the probation service. The Secretary for Justice has recognised the importance of the service and long ago acknowledged the need for more officers. Last year he told Parliament in his annual report that staff restrictions and a curtailment of overtime and travel had inhibited the work of the service.

If the service cannot do an effective job it is a waste of time and money. In fact, the results of thorough work by probation officers have shown that the service can be successful dealing with offenders. Extra funds for the service should be regarded as a promising way of reducing or curtailing expenditure in other areas—in prisons and police and social welfare work, and even in the work of the courts.

The probation division of the Department of Justice should be augmented. Finding the right people, training them, and giving them the experience that is needed will take time. The sooner a serious campaign to recruit staff begins the better it will be for the entire system of justice, law, and order.