Are there any grounds to request a different Probation Officer

[ladyequine]

My partner is having huge problems with his PO - He is unhelpful constantly denies having conversations and is very dismissive of anything my partner has to say. He keeps telling my partner to do community service which was not part of his sentance and telling hi that if he dosen't play the game he won't help him. My partner has requested someone be present in their meetings or for the meetings to be recorded and this has been refused so it is his word against my partners. I know this may sound very cliche, but my partner was set up and did not do what he was sentanced for and the so called victim has constantly tried to communicate with him whilst serving and on release. She even tried to bribe him before he was sentanced. She is a cicil servant and has gained his contact details through job seekers, she has been reported to the police and to the job centre and that is inhand. His PO will not take any of this onbaord and is making life difficult for him. we do not feel that he is being treated fairly and the PO's attitude is extremely beligerent. we are not stupid people but have never been in this position before and do not know what his rights are. My partner has always found his PO very difficult and patronising and in meetings i have been requested to attend he has talked over me and tried to belittle me. I am nothing to do with the case although us being together was the catalyst of her actions. We will be looking to take legal action against his origional solicitor for misadvice and failing to ackowledge factual information about his case ie. times and places which proove her statement to be incorrect, but in the meantime we need someone who will treat him with humility and listen not patronise and belittle. can anyone tell me if there is a process to change the PO and what would the reasons for this be? Thank You....

[mccfluff]

i'm not sure but try this site

http://www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk/output/ page7.asp

http://www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk/files/p df/Making%20a%20Complaint%20Leaflet%20English. pdf

[ladyequine]

Thanks for that but we have all that information and it really dosen't help. Neither of us are the 'victim' i term that loosely as previously stated. The problem is his PO is not a nice person and is very unhelpful. He has no sentance plan and the parameters of his licence continually change, and he has basically said if you do what I want then maybe i will do something for you. In my eyes that is a person who likes the power of his job title. His behaviour appears personal not professional. This is so frustrating, my partner is a hard working honest man who went to help his EX and ended up getting battered and 2years for it. Now we have to face a power hungry biligerent pratt. It dosen't take einstein to work out what his PO is about, we just dont know how to expose him... Tahnks all the same...

[doglady]

I know a few POs myself, I can tell you that they are constantly faced with people who say they didn't do whatever they are convicted of, but it sounds like this guy is maybe taking it a touch too far.

Try asking to speak to his Senior Probation Officer and putting in an official complaint. There are targets and guidleines for completion of sentence plans and your husband should have the opportunity to see them if possible to agree them (sometimes this isn't possible due to time limits).

[ladyequine]

Hi Thanks for all your posts, i agree the prison and probation system is full of 'innocent people..' BUT i can coategorically state he is innocent, he did not do what he has been convicted of he was there but not in the manner she has deplicted and as time is going on she is exposing herself as the liar she is, her words to a mutual friend were, 'It was the only way i knew how to hurt him' .! We have reverted back to our solicitor who will be issuing a restraining order on the female and also will be referring his probation conditions to the Home Office. We are also filing a complaint of Mis-Advice on his previous solicitor. We have the origional police report and there are many inaccuicies on times and phone calls of which at the time my partner having had a nervous breakdown, was unable to pinpoint. ... the legal system such an Ass...