PROBATION officers across West Yorkshire could find themselves out of work due to proposed cuts to the service.
Figures released this week found West Yorkshire Probation Service’s (WYPS) budget is to be chopped by £2.2m (5.2%) between 2008/09 and 2009/10.
It is estimated this will lead to about 61 redundancies in the county.
But yesterday WYPS claimed the number of ‘frontline’ probation officers would remain the same.
WYPS’s cuts come as part of a £29.3m belt-tightening plan by the Government for this financial year.
WYPS monitors offenders on community sentences and after their release from jail.
Shadow justice secretary Dominic Greave said: “This is a direct consequence of Labour having run out of money – first prisons scrapped and now probation services cut.
“Ministers admit the recession will lead to rising crime, yet they are releasing prisoners early and encouraging judges to send fewer people to jail.
“Slashing spending on supervising offenders puts the public at risk.”
Sue Hall, WYPS’s chief probation officer, said: “Although this is a challenging budget, we have achieved savings through efficiencies and by reducing manager posts and the cost of support services. The cuts have dictated the pace of our introduction of a leaner management structure in preparation for becoming a trust. We have made no reduction in the number of frontline probation officers and can reaffirm our commitment to targeting resources at high-risk offenders. We regard public protection as paramount.”
