THE PROBATION SERVICE in Wales is at risk of being overwhelmed unless urgent action is taken to improve staffing, pay and working conditions, MPs have warned.

A new report by the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee, titled Jagged Justice: Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales, says probation staff are working under “exceptionally challenging circumstances” and have been “stretched to their limit”.

The report, published today, also says there is merit in exploring whether probation and youth justice should be devolved to Wales, so services can be designed more closely around Welsh communities.

The committee found that the Probation Service in Wales manages around 15,300 people at any one time, including those serving community sentences, people released from prison, and prisoners preparing for release.

MPs heard evidence that all six Probation Delivery Units in Wales had been rated either “requires improvement” or “inadequate”, although North Wales was singled out as an example of strong practice.

The report says new tools being piloted in Wales may help reduce pressure on staff, but warns that technology alone will not solve the problem.

The committee said: “Probation staff in Wales have been stretched to their limit and without tangible investment in additional officers at a national level, as well as measures to improve retention, the service runs the risk of being overwhelmed in the future.”

MPs have called on the Ministry of Justice to review staffing levels, pay and working conditions as part of its forthcoming strategic review of probation.

They also said the UK Government should set out clear steps and timelines for deciding whether probation and youth justice should be devolved to the Welsh Government.

Napo, the trade union representing probation and family court staff, welcomed the report.

General Secretary Ian Lawrence said: “It is encouraging to see a Parliamentary Committee recognise issues that Napo has been raising for many years.

“The recommendation to explore the devolution of probation in Wales reflects our long-held view that services are often most effective when they are designed and delivered closer to the communities they serve.

“We’re also pleased that the committee agrees that probation staff cannot continue to do more with less.

“If governments are serious about reducing reoffending and making greater use of community alternatives to custody, then staffing levels, pay and working conditions must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

The wider report also raises concerns about overcrowding, rehabilitation, prison healthcare, Welsh women being held in prisons in England, and the impact of the current “jagged edge” between reserved justice powers and devolved services such as health, housing and education.

The committee said justice remains a UK Government responsibility, but many of the services needed to reduce reoffending are run in Wales.

That split, MPs said, makes joined-up rehabilitation harder and strengthens the case for looking again at whether Wales should have more control over parts of the justice system.

Napo said it would continue to press both the UK and Welsh Governments to engage directly with probation staff and unions as discussions over the future of justice services in Wales continue.

Birds found in poor condition after being taken from natural habitat

A KILGETTY man deliberately trapped wild goldfinches using a decoy system with the intention of selling them, a court has heard.

When officers from the RSPCA discovered the birds at aviaries in The Glebe, Tenby, Colwyn Robert Probert allegedly told them to “shove the birds up your bum” after being informed the animals would be released back into the wild.

Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court heard this week that Probert, 38, of Kingsmoor Common, Kilgetty, had trapped the birds in their natural habitat using decoy birds and wild seed.

Lindi Meyer, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: “Thirteen goldfinches had been taken from the wild after the defendant set up traps with decoy birds and wild seed.”

The court heard that when RSPCA officers inspected the birds, many were struggling to adapt to captivity.

Ms Meyer said: “The birds were finding it difficult to adapt to a confined environment, having been captured in the wild. They were clinging to the bars of the cages, they were unsteady on the perches and they had dark coloured legs, which are characteristic of wild birds.”

The prosecutor added that two of the cages were too small, some of the birds had dirty tails and damaged wing feathers, while broken swings were also found inside the aviaries.

“Two of them were underweight and their water was dirty,” she said.

The court heard that after officers informed Probert the birds would be returned to their natural habitat, he responded: “You can shove them up your bum if you want to.”

A subsequent search of Probert’s property failed to uncover any documentation showing the birds had been obtained legally.

Probert pleaded guilty to intentionally taking goldfinches from the wild, possessing thirteen wild goldfinches contrary to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, attempting to take birds from the wild, and failing to ensure the welfare needs of the birds were met.

“This was clearly a disregard for wildlife and had been pre-planned,” Ms Meyer told the court. “We also believe there was a commercial element involved.”

The court was told Probert had previously been convicted in 2010 for similar offences involving the trapping and keeping of wild birds.

Given the seriousness of the offences, District Judge Mark Layton ordered a full probation report before sentencing.

Probert was granted unconditional bail and will be sentenced at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (Jun 30).

GMB says protective equipment should be considered where risk assessments show staff could face blades

SCHOOL staff should be given access to knife blankets where there is a clear risk of violent incidents involving blades, a union has said, amid growing concern over safety in schools and youth settings.

The call was made at the GMB Congress on Tuesday (Jun 9), where delegates warned that school support staff are increasingly being expected to deal with serious behavioural incidents, safeguarding crises and violent confrontations without proper protective equipment.

The debate will resonate strongly in west Wales, where recent incidents have brought the issue of youth violence into sharp focus.

In February, Milford Haven School was placed into lockdown after a teacher was assaulted during an incident involving a pupil reportedly armed with a bladed article. A 15-year-old boy was later charged with grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article on school premises.

The case followed the shocking attack at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford in April 2024, when two teachers and a pupil were stabbed. A teenage girl was later convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 15 years in custody.

More recently, four youths aged between 13 and 17 suffered stab wounds during violence at Tenby railway station in April. British Transport Police later confirmed a number of arrests in connection with the incident.

GMB said the issue was not about creating fear in schools, but about recognising the reality faced by staff who are often first on the scene when serious incidents unfold.

Jonathan Coles, a GMB delegate, told Congress: “Support staff frequently manage challenging behaviour, respond to safeguarding crises, and undertake de-escalation work.

“Yet they are expected to do this without appropriate protective equipment.

“That’s why GMB is calling for the establishment of clear national standards requiring all academy trusts, local authorities, and specialist education providers to provide knife blankets wherever risk assessments identify potential exposure.

“Knife blankets, alongside consistent training on their use, offer a practical measure for the protection of education staff.”

Knife blankets are designed to help protect staff from slashes and stab wounds during emergency situations. The union says they should not be seen as a replacement for prevention, behaviour support, mental health services or proper staffing levels, but as one part of a wider safety plan.

Figures cited by GMB suggest more than 700 knife-related offences were recorded by police in schools in England and Wales last year.

The union is calling for clear national standards, proper training, and risk assessments which reflect the changing nature of violence faced by education staff.

The issue is likely to raise difficult questions for councils, schools and Welsh Government ministers about how far schools should go in preparing for rare but potentially catastrophic incidents.

Supporters of the proposal argue that staff should not be left defenceless when violence erupts.

Others may worry that protective equipment such as knife blankets risks normalising the idea that schools are dangerous places.

But after serious incidents in Milford Haven, Ammanford and Tenby, the debate over how best to protect staff and pupils is unlikely to go away.