The innovative, demanding − and often hugely challenging − work which usually goes on behind the scenes to tackle some of the area’s most prolific offenders, comes under the spotlight as part of a major new observational documentary series on Channel 4.
For the first time, West Midlands Police has opened its doors to show how − with the help of partners – it is leading the way in trying to steer offenders away from a life of crime and cut reoffending rates.
Called ‘Cops and Robbers’, the four-part feature looks at the often frustrating work which goes on behind closed doors with offenders − trying to break their cycle of offending.
The series also seeks to gain an understanding of the issues that drive re-offending and the difficulties many offenders face in trying to make positive changes in their lives, often including trying to break an addiction to drugs.
“We decided to take part in this documentary to raise public awareness around the work that offender managers and partners do to try to tackle reoffending,” said Superintendent Andy Parsons, from Dudley Police.
“At the same time we wanted to highlight some of the difficulties which officers and partners have to overcome in helping this type of offender move away from a life of crime.”
The hard-hitting documentary looks at how so-called ‘prolific offenders’ are managed in two areas of the force – Dudley and Birmingham North − and shows the daily challenges the successful teams face.
“The vast majority of people who live in North Birmingham and Dudley are honest and law abiding and this series touches on the tiny proportion of individuals whose often chaotic lifestyles can unfairly impact on the rest of the community,” added Supt Parsons.
The force has undertaken a multi-million pound investment in offender management over recent years, which has seen a tripling in the number of officers dedicated to preventing criminals committing more crime.
A ‘carrot and stick’ approach has seen offenders diverted away from crime and offered innovative alternatives to police cautions or court hearings. Many are helped complete self-improvement courses − like police-run Prince’s Trust − and given continued support via partner agencies and charities.
But it’s not all about second chances or being soft on criminals − the films show how officers are quick to move in and arrest those who refuse to change their ways and return to offending. Stubborn offenders are robustly managed − with officers putting a lot of effort into obtaining orders that control behaviour and ensuring other conditions are adhered to.
The offenders managed by local offender management teams are often involved in a range of offending − but offences that can have a major impact on local communities, including theft, burglary and other acquisitive crime.
With around 250 offender managers across the West Midlands it means the force’s ability to rapidly return re-offenders to prison has hugely increased.
Supt Parsons added: “Offenders are ‘adopted’ by individual officers…and their daily business is to engage and support that person out of criminality. As well as trying to reduce crime, offender management work is about helping people turn their lives around.”