One of the great things about my job as your MP is meeting and hearing from the multitude of individuals and teams that make and keep our city working and safe. Probation Officers are one such group.

At my recent visit with the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO) at their Norwich Offices, I got a clearer picture of the highs and lows facing the probation service right now. There’s some good news, but plenty of challenges still need sorting.

The Good-ish News

First, the Labour government has announced a funding boost for the justice system, which includes probation services. In October’s budget, the Ministry of Justice was allocated an extra £1.9 billion over the next couple of years, with £500 million set aside specifically for prisons and probation by 2025-26. This money is earmarked for hiring thousands of new staff, which should help ease some of the pressure.

In addition, probation officers will finally receive a long-overdue pay rise. There’s also an agreement to reopen pay talks, and some staff on lower salaries will be moved up the pay scale, with their new pay backdated to April 2024. That’s a step in the right direction, especially when many probation officers have felt undervalued for far too long.

The Bad News

Unfortunately, this doesn’t erase the harsh realities the service is still facing. Staff told me how many of these new recruits were not up to the standard of former cadres due to the still relatively low pay. Retention was also becoming an increasing issue for the same reason.

Indeed, probation officers’ pay has fallen behind inflation over the years, with some estimates suggesting a real-terms pay drop of more than 60%. Rising costs of living make it even harder for these dedicated and highly experienced staff to make ends meet.

Today, probation officers struggle with massive workloads and a lack of resources. Indeed, when Labour was forced to release thousands of offenders early to avert a breakdown in the prisons and criminal justice system due to a decade of neglect and cuts, it diverted much of that pressure onto the probation service.

We shouldn’t forget that this service was already reeling from years of unnecessary ‘reform’. Many of its problems date back to when former Justice Secretary Chris Grayling tried to shake things up by partially privatising probation services. The idea was to merge civil service probation officers with private providers, but it was a disaster. The reforms caused chaos, and although the system was eventually brought back under public control, the damage has been lasting.

Moreover, probation officers are on the front line of dealing with the social fallout of years of cuts and austerity. Community resources and support services have been stripped back, leaving probation officers to pick up the pieces as they try to rehabilitate offenders. It’s a tough job made even more complex by the lack of backup from other areas of the social infrastructure and a system of outsourcing to private companies and charities, many of whom are not up to the job they’ve been contracted for.

A Long Road Ahead

While the extra funding and pay rise are positive steps, they don’t fix everything. If we want a probation service that works—for officers, offenders, and communities—then we need real investment, proper support, and a commitment to rebuilding what’s been lost over the years. Probation officers are doing incredibly important work, and it’s time they got the recognition—and resources—they deserve. That’s now started, but we must go much further and faster.