Zara Aleena
This report repeats 2 earlier warnings. See the linked reports.
The coroner's concerns
1. understaffed probation delivery unit
“The probation delivery unit responsible for the offender was understaffed at the time of relevant oversight”
2. lack of support systems for stretched staff
“There were no systems in place devised to assist the staff working in these stretched circumstances”
3. poor risk assessment understanding
“The understanding around risk assessment was poor, at all levels of staffing”
4. lack of mandatory risk assessment training
“Risk assessment training is not part of the mandatory training framework within the probation service”
5. inadequate risk assessment sharing with partners
“There were no checks to ensure the provision of up to date and accurate risk assessments to partner agencies”
6. lack of professional curiosity in risk assessment
“There was a lack of professional curiosity and a lack of sufficient probing into information relevant to risk”
Linked reports
Earlier report
“there were still difficulties in recruitment and retention of probation officers, one factor in which was low pay”
This report
“The probation delivery unit responsible for the offender was understaffed at the time of relevant oversight.”
Earlier report
“First, lack of professional curiosity. This is a phrase which has been used to try and capture what lay at the root of many of the individual errors and oversights.”
This report
“(6) There was a lack of professional curiosity and a lack of sufficient probing into information relevant to risk.”
Responses
2024-0409-Response-from-HMPPS-and-MoJ.pdf ↗· Redbridge Council
Stated action · January 2022
“We accept that the Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) responsible for [name redacted] was understaffed at the time. Whilst at a national level, the staffing position of the Probation Service is improving, I acknowledge that raising staffing in this PDU to its full complement remains a significant challenge. Therefore, until such time as the situation improves, in this PDU and others with acute pressure remaining, staff will follow a Prioritisation Framework which we first implemented in January 2022”
2024-0409-Response-from-Home-Office.pdf ↗· Home Office
2024-0409-Response-from-London-Borough-of-Redbridge.pdf ↗· His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service
Stated action · annual
“The training for CCTV operators encompasses modules that cover behavioural body language training and are specifically designed to detect behaviours that would fall under the remit of 'suspicious'. The training is based on established principles and techniques outlined in Tavcom training programs - suspicious behaviours can include gestures, mannerisms, alone or in a group, time, location, how someone is acting (i.e. drunk/disorientated), approaching people, being aggressive etc. The training given”
2024-0409-Response-from-Metropolitan-Police.pdf ↗· Metropolitan Police Service
Stated action · later in 2024
“The MPS accepts that the reviews of this case lacked sufficient rigour and detail and that the review process was not sufficiently comprehensive to identify all the potential learning arising from the police response.”