‘Acquisitive crime’ covers aspects of theft and robbery including street crime, business and retail crime and vehicle crime.
More information on the national picture
Research suggests that approximately 10% of the active offender population are responsible for half of all crime and that a very small proportion of offenders (0.5%) are responsible for one in ten offences.
The Prolific and other Priority Offender (PPO) programme, launched by the Prime Minister in 2004, aims to reduce the offending by this group by providing a system of “end-to-end” management for the most prolific and other priority offenders in each area.
Sixteen 16 PPO schemes have been established in Yorkshire and The Humber – one in each unitary authority and three in York & North Yorkshire covering the east, west and central area BCUs (Basic Command Units).
The PPO Strategy is an end to end strategy in 3 parts;
- Prevent and Deter : To prevent and deter people (overwhelmingly young people) engaging in offending behaviour and graduating into prolific offenders
- Catch and Convict - to actively tackle those who are already prolific offenders but resistant to rehabilitative efforts (see below). A key part of this strand is the CJS (Criminal Justice System) Premium Service Protocol which sets out how PPOs will be handles by the relevant CJS agencies in each area
- Rehabilitation and Resettlement - working with identified prolific offenders to stop their offending by offering a range of supportive interventions. Offenders will be offered the opportunity for rehabilitation or face a very swift return to the courts
PPO Steering and Operational Groups have been established for each scheme covering both strategic and operational issues. Membership on the groups includes Police, Probation, Prisons, Local authority, Housing, Social services, Jobcentre Plus, and the Voluntary and Community Sector. CDRPs (Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships) are expected to be the heart of the co-ordination process and report progress to Government Office regularly. LCJBs (Local Criminal Justice Boards) are responsible for the delivery of the PPO premium service involving the local criminal justice agencies.
The Yorkshire and The Humber Reducing Re-offending Action Plan provides the context for the R&R strand of the programme. The plan identifies 7 strategic R&R “pathways” :
- Accommodation
- Education training and employment
- Mental and physical health
- Drugs and alcohol
- Finance and benefit
- Children and families of offenders
- Attitudes, thinking and behaviour.
Regional Steering Groups have been established covering each of the key resettlement “pathways” identified in the Action Plan. A specific PPO Pathway Action Group has also been established to focus on the specific R&R needs of PPOs.
Further details of the PPO programme including guidance are included in the PPO mini-site that can be accessed through the website address below.
