1. Mid Ulster Borough Council
The Public Protection Arrangements Northern Ireland
(PPANI)
12th April 2016
Julie Smyth PPANI Coordinator, D/Inspector Tara Swann & Rosemary Bailie PBNI Area Manager

2. Background to Public Protection in N. Ireland
1990’s: Growing concern among the public about Sex Offenders living in the community.
1996: Multi-agency Conference ‘No Hiding Place’ Organised by NIO and NOTA
1997: (1st Sept.) Sex Offender Notification
2001: (1st Sept.) MASRAM (Multi-agency Sex-offender Risk Assessment and Management)

3. The Criminal Justice (NI) Order 2008
put public protection on a statutory footing
with the Public Protection Arrangements
Northern Ireland (PPANI) replacing the
existing MASRAM arrangements
The risk posed to the public by sexual and violent offenders has been a long standing area of concern for local communities. The inclusion of provisions designed to increase public protection in the Criminal Justice (NI) Order 2008 was in response to these concerns. The Public Protection Arrangements NI or PPANI place a duty on 9 agencies, both within the Criminal Justice sector and elsewhere to cooperate in assessing and managing the risk posed by serious sexual and violent offenders. However at an operational level Police Service of NI, Probation Board NI, NI Prison Service and HSCT’s have a greater role on a day to day basis. The Criminal Justice Order 2008 also introduced a new Sentencing Framework, which included Extended & Indeterminate sentences for public protection, which provide post release supervision by high risk violent and sexual offenders. Licence conditions can be used as external controls.

4. Public Protection Arrangements NI (PPANI)
PPANI is not in an organisation, but a set of arrangements which require all statutory agencies with responsibility for child protection and criminal justice to work together to protect the public
Primary Purpose – to reduce the offender’s opportunity and/or inclination to re-offend
Risk management not risk elimination
Manage risk not people
Every offender is different

5. Who is Subject to the Public Protection Arrangements NI?

6. A Persons who are subject to the notification requirements
of Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 or
who have been convicted of a sexual
offence or sexually motivated offence and are not subject to the notification requirements of Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003,
but
about whom there are current significant concerns

7. B
Persons who have from been convicted of a violent offence (including homicide) against a child or vulnerable adult; or who have a previous conviction for a violent offence against a child or vulnerable adult and about whom there are current significant concerns.

8. are current significant concerns.
Persons who from have been convicted of a violent offence (including homicide) in domestic or family circumstances; or who have
a previous conviction for a violent offence in domestic or family circumstances and about whom there
are current significant concerns.

9. D
Persons who from have been convicted of a violent offence (including homicide) where the offence has been aggravated by hostility and for which the person received an enhanced sentence.
This refers to those persons convicted of an offence aggravated by hostility on the grounds only of sexual orientation, race, disability and gender.

10. PPANI Organisational Structure
Strategic Management Board
PPANI
5 Sub Groups Coordination
Unit
Policy Accommodation Victims Communication Education
& Advisory &
Practice Group Training
Operational Delivery
LAPPP
SMB are responsible for overseeing that the Public Protection arrangements are implemented, has 5 subgroups which look at Accommodation, Education & Training, Policy & Practice, Communications and Victims Advisory Sub Group. The SMB also direct on Serious Case Reviews as well as responding to any recommendations from Criminal Justice Inspectorate reports.

11. Agencies contributing to PPANI NECESSARY e.g. NSPCC, Nexus
POLICE
SOCIAL
SERVICES
PROBATION
PRISON
SERVICE
OTHER
AGENCIES
AS FELT
NECESSARY e.g. NSPCC, Nexus
N. I.
HOUSING
EXECUTIVE

12. Local Area Public Protection Panel
(LAPPP)
LAPPPs are the multi-agency forum tasked with the operational delivery of the Public Protection Arrangements. The key responsibilities of LAPPPs include;
1. Multi-Agency Assessment of all relevant
Offenders
2. Development of appropriate risk management
plans for those offenders set at
Category 2 or 3 risk of serious harm following assessment
LAPPPs are the key operational focus of PPANI and are the forum for decision making. LAPPPs are held geographically across NI & chaired by a PBNI Area Manager. Cases are reviewed on a 16 week basis and it is important to note that offenders who are assessed as Category 1 are not subject to further LAPPP reviews and are managed by a single agency. However if the single agency has a current significant concern regarding the offender they can be re-referred into the PPANI process.

13. LAPPP Structure Multi- Agency Meeting Held throughout N. Ireland
Agreed Personnel – LAPPP Chair, PPANI Links, DRM
Set Agenda

14. LAPPP Process Evidence Based Practice Defensible decision making
Victim focus

15. RISK ASSESSMENT
Within PPANI the risk posed by individual Offenders is assessed by:
Completion of the Risk Matrix 2000 static risk assessment tool which identifies the likelihood of sexual and/or violent reoffending
The Risk Matrix is a static risk assessment which is undertaken as a paper exercise by a team of specialist trained police officers. RM2000 is a tool which has collated a number of risk factors which have been identified as indicative of risk of reoffending, in other words if the offender is matched with other offenders who have the same factors what is the level of risk of reoffending. It is only static items i.e. yes or no based on fact and that is why it is undertaken as a paper exercise without the offender being seen. From this the level of low, medium or high is gained and then linked to Categories.

16. Risk Assessment contd. 2. Dynamic Risk Assessment. Including;
Stable and Acute 2007 re Sexual Offenders
Framework for Assessment Domestic Abuse (FADA) re Domestic Abuse offender
These assessments are completed by the
DRM & assessment tools draw upon best
practice & research

17. Following this assessment process the offender will be assigned one of three
clearly defined categories
Categorising risk of serious harm allows agencies to :
Make the best use of time & resources and concentrate efforts towards those who pose the greatest risk

18. Category 1
(No requirement for multi-agency intervention/ single agency management)
“Someone whose previous offending, current behaviour and current circumstances present little evidence that they will cause serious harm.”
Here the agencies are not saying that there is no risk, rather that the risk can be managed by a single agency as opposed to via a multi agency forum

19. (requirement for multi-agency intervention)
Category 2
(requirement for multi-agency intervention)
“Someone whose previous offending, current behaviour and current circumstances present clear and identifiable evidence that they could cause serious harm through carrying out a contact sexual or violent offence.”

20. “Someone whose previous offending, and/or
Category 3
(requirement for intensive/focused multi-agency intervention – managed by PSNI / PBNI/ HSCT staff from co-located Public Protection Team (PPT)
“Someone whose previous offending, and/or
current behaviour and/or current circumstances present clear and identifiable evidence that they
are highly likely to cause serious harm through carrying out a contact sexual or violent offence.”
Supervised by PPT – co-located team of PSNI, PBNI & HSCT practitioners. Supervise all Cat 3 cases across NI.
Currently there 141 offenders assessed as PPANI Category 2 – 69 of these are violent offenders and 94 are sexual offenders. There are currently 22 PPANI Category 3 offenders – 15 are violent offenders and 7 are sexual offenders.

21. Risk Management Risk Management Plan should contain:
ENFORCEMENT measures to restrict behaviour – often through Court Orders and Licences
ENCOURAGEMENT measures to change behaviour and attitude
accredited programmes
alcohol and substance abuse
improving employability
assisting with accommodation

22. Current Statistics re Categories of Offender Subject to PPANI Resident in Mid Ulster Borough Council Area
Total
Category 3
Category 2 4
Category 1 61

23. Thank you Any Questions?