Cheshire Police launch Navigate scheme

Navigate is the Cheshire name for the Integrated Offender Management model of rehabilitation.  This model was introduced nationally in 2003 and was built on the Prolific and Other Priority Offender Scheme (PPO) initiative.

It is a multi-agency working arrangement to effectively manage, enforce and rehabilitate offenders who have been identified as having complex needs and who pose a high risk of reoffending and subsequent risk to the community.

Cheshire Police’s integrated offender management manager Kyla Hall said: “While Cheshire embrace the IOM working practices for a number of different crime groups, Navigate primarily focuses on burglary and car crime and other offences which are of concern in terms of repeat offending. It’s based on the understanding that a relatively small number of offenders commit a relatively large proportion of crime.

“This multi-agency arrangement looks at the identified pathways to reduce reoffending and includes Community Rehabilitation Companies, Drug and Alcohol treatment providers, housing, mental health and the National Probation Service to name just a few.”

All agencies work together with the offender to address the root causes of their offending behaviour and assess the risk associated with reoffending.

Kyla added: “The Navigate team is a valuable and dedicated resource focusing on preventing the offending of the most prolific offenders in our communities, to reduce their criminal activity and the impact this has on our communities.”

A recent case study of a prolific offender from Ellesmere Port highlights the benefits of Navigate not only on preventing reoffending but giving the ex-offender the chance to change for the better…

Case study:
A once prolific offender who was in and out of prison over the course of his young life has turned over a new leaf thanks to the persistence of Cheshire Police’s Navigate team.

The 24-year-old, had a criminal record as long as his arm, but after working with Cheshire Police’s Navigate team, the prison and probation, he turned his life around. He has been in fulltime employment for over 12 months and has been free from the scrutiny of the Navigate team for a year. During this time he has been living in his own flat, which he shares with his girlfriend and their daughter.

The approach of the Navigate team is to provide support but with strict conditions. PC Rob Dalton said: “It’s not a soft option and a lot is expected from the offender.  We strictly monitor them and set conditions such as attending rehab courses, curfews, drug or alcohol tests and more. The moment the prolific offender steps out of line, they face going back to prison. And we’ll know they have stepped out of line because we monitor them so closely.”

The former prolific offender had a bad start in life, suffering a traumatic experience as a child and a chaotic family life with both parents having alcohol problems as a result of a traumatic event. He said: “I chose the wrong path, my upbringing and the people I was hanging around with in Ellesmere Port didn’t help, but I didn’t help myself. I’ve got myself to blame for that.

“I used to rob to fund my lifestyle. I was robbing cars and selling them, sometimes stealing to order.”

He came to the attention of police at 12 and continued to offend resulting in ASBOs against him and time in prison.

2007 was his first stay in prison and over the years Cheshire Police Navigate officer PC Rob Dalton visited him in prison to try and engage with him.  PC Dalton said: “At first it wasn’t very successful but I kept trying.”

Finally, after PC Dalton’s persistence and after racking up 5 years in total over several years this repeat offender had decided he’d had enough.

He said: “I was getting back out and doing the same things and hanging around with the same people.”

Consequently he’d continue to commit burglaries and end up back inside.

PC Dalton said: “There was limited engagement at first, but once he had changed his mind set, partly due to getting together with his girlfriend and moving out of Ellesmere Port, removing him from the friends and lifestyle that got him into trouble, the engagement increased.”

He was put on a tracking tag, help was provided to find accommodation and a job. He had help with his CV and with building a portfolio of the 60 courses he’d taken in the five years he’d been in prison. This ranged from Maths, English, plumbing, IT, painting and decorating,

Keegan said: “Before I went to prison I didn’t even know the alphabet. I got kicked out of school and I couldn’t’ read or write. Now this is the best I’ve ever felt. I’m not looking over my shoulder, not spending other people’s money. I’ve got a better life now and I’m happy.”

PC Dalton said: “There were a couple of blips though, which were different from the reasons he committed the burglaries but saw him back in jail for a spell. It was a tough time for him at that point, and he did begin to question what the point in changing was. But we stuck with it and he has now been in his job for more than a year and has a young family to provide for and keep safe.

“I’d been dealing with him since he was 12 years old and hadn’t had the best of starts in life with a lot of challenges to face.  But his biggest challenge was changing his mind set and deciding to choose the right path and stay on it. I was determined to help him change so it’s great to see him now so much happier and with a family of his own.”