National Probation Service

The National Probation Service (NPS) is a statutory criminal justice service that supervises high-risk offenders released into the community. It works with around 30,000 offenders a year, supporting their rehabilitation while protecting the public.

The National Probation Service (NPS) was set up on 1 June 2014, along with 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) that manage low and medium risk offenders. The NPS works in partnership with the CRCs, with the courts, police and with private and voluntary sector partners in order to manage offenders safely and effectively.

Together, the NPS and the CRCs have replaced the former 35 probation trusts. The NPS are responsible for:

• preparing pre-sentence reports for courts, to help them select the most appropriate sentence
• managing approved premises for offenders with a residence requirement on their sentence
• assessing offenders in prison to prepare them for release on licence to the community, when they will come under NPS supervision
• helping all offenders serving sentences in the community to meet the requirements ordered by the courts
• communicating with and prioritising the wellbeing of victims of serious sexual and violent offences, when the offender has received a prison sentence of 12 months or more, or is detained as a mental health patient.

The NPS North West Divisional area contains the former Probation Trusts: Greater Manchester; Merseyside; Cumbria; Lancashire and Cheshire.

The NPS are a partner of both Boards.