I WISH to clarify issues of public concern which were raised in your newspaper's editorial comment column on October 1.

Our highest priority in the Lancashire probation service is to help protect the public. We do this by exercising careful and responsible supervision of those offenders who are placed under our supervision either directly by the courts or on release from prison.

This is difficult and demanding work which is only possible with the support and understanding of the public on whose behalf we act. We work in local communities and fully understand the fears and concerns that people have, especially about sex offenders.

Your newspaper is wholly wrong to suggest that we have a 'dismissive attitude' towards residents who live near our Highfield House hostel in Accrington. On the contrary, the hostel manager and her staff have maintained close liaison with representatives of the local community over many years, attending residents' meetings and seeking at all times to maintain good communications with people in the surrounding area.

Indeed, residents from our hostel have been praised for the work they have done in helping to improve local amenities through a number of community work projects.

It is equally incorrect to allege that the probation service 'bluntly refuses' to confirm to local residents whether or not any sex offenders are housed there. We have openly acknowledged to residents in the past and most recently at their September 7 meeting, that Home Office policy on admissions to probation and bail hostels does not allow us to rule out absolutely any particular category of offender. All cases have to be judged on their merits and on the basis of a careful assessment of the level of risk that they may present. Public safety is the paramount consideration here.

No one can give cast iron guarantees that the public can always be protected but we strive to achieve this and, if there are lessons to be learned from the management of any individual case, we are determined to learn them.

We would all wish that there were no offenders who committed offences of a sexual nature. Regrettably, it is the case that they do and society has to find a way of managing them. The most serious are rightly imprisoned for long periods, but many others are judged by the courts to be capable of being dealt with in the community. The supervision of sex offenders requires constant vigilance and careful judgment. We do not act alone in this but in close collaboration with the police, local authorities and organisations such as the NSPCC.

There are occasions when the agencies, working together, take the decision that local people do need to be made aware of the presence of an individual offender in their midst and then this information is disclosed by the police.

It is the public whose interests we serve first. We shall continue to do so to the best of our ability and in discussion with all the agencies, members of the local community and their elected representatives.

J CRAWFORTH, Chief Probation Officer, Lancashire Probation Service.

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