Our Role

Lancashire is one of 42 areas within the National Probation Service for England and Wales which is led by the National Director Roger Hill. In Lancashire, the service is led by area Chief Officer Bob Mathers and the Lancashire Probation Board

We work to national objectives with focus on local delivery of services relevant to the needs and concerns of all sections of our diverse county so as to:

• protect the public
• supervise and enforce court orders and prison licences
• rehabilitate offenders to law abiding lives and so reduce rates of re-offending
• contribute to community safety in all 14 Lancashire districts
• uphold the interests of victims

Probation in Lancashire has won national recognition for local pioneering initiatives, for example action in tackling persistent offenders and racially motivated offending. We emphasise partnership working with other public, voluntary and private agencies in contributing to reduce crime and re-offending and promoting community safety.

As a public service, we value diversity and uphold equality of opportunity for all staff and users of probation services. In Lancashire, as one of the largest ` shire county` probation areas, we serve a total population of 1.4 million people. There is a wide cultural and ethnic diversity including communities of South Asian heritage.

At any one time we supervise a total of about 5,300 offenders in the local communities of Lancashire. Most of these offenders are subject to a Court Order, having been sentenced to serve a penalty in the community. About 800 of the total are subject to licence for a fixed time after their release from prison. In partnership with prisons we contribute to supervising about 1745 prisoners in custody and due for eventual release.

We work for the protection of all members of the community. The public rightly expects that offenders should receive punishment for their crimes and also that steps are taken to tackle the underlying causes of their behaviour and to minimise the risk of further offending. Our work with victims of crime is to ensure that their views are heard and acknowledged and that they have information and access to the process of justice.

Probation in Lancashire employs a total of about 600 staff. They are community-based in  local centres and two hostels and in Lancashire`s six prisons including a young offenders` institution.