Changing established working practices requires people to understand why change is needed and have a voice in how it happens. For HMPPS Probation Service, that became a central part of its response to two serious knife-related incidents on probation premises.

In its submission to The SHE Show Inspiring Change Awards 2026, the service describes how its Probation Safety Programme brought frontline colleagues, senior leaders and specialist teams together to review risks and introduce practical improvements. The aim was to strengthen staff protection while maintaining effective probation delivery.

Investigations identified areas needing attention in risk assessment, training and workplace safety arrangements. Existing policies provided a framework, but the service recognised that operational demands had not always been matched by sufficient attention to staff safety. The programme created an opportunity to examine familiar practices and make the management of violence and aggression more visible in everyday decisions.

A Probation Safety Project Board brought the investigation recommendations into a coordinated action plan. A senior responsible officer provided accountability, while operational leaders worked with health and safety, estates, finance and other service functions to prioritise improvements. Senior leadership and ministerial support helped secure investment for security pilots and additional safety equipment.

The variety of probation premises made implementation complex. The estate includes purpose-built offices and converted buildings, with different layouts and ownership arrangements. Measures suitable for a large contact centre could not simply be applied unchanged to a small office. Health and safety and estates colleagues therefore worked together to identify practical controls and prioritise work.

Reviews of violence and aggression risk assessments and physical security arrangements were early priorities. These examined matters including CCTV, personal attack alarms and the procedures needed when an alarm was activated. The process exposed further gaps, reinforcing the importance of checking how arrangements would work in practice.

One significant change involved lockers for people attending probation appointments. The investigations identified risks associated with taking bags into interview rooms. Introducing storage arrangements required changes to established routines, investment in equipment and clear explanations for both staff and people on probation.

Supporting notices use straightforward language to explain the new arrangements and their purpose in keeping everyone safe. This communication was an important part of implementation: staff needed to explain unfamiliar requirements clearly and respectfully, with care to avoid escalating tension.

Alongside improvements across the wider estate, seven pilot sites were selected to test enhanced security measures. The selection considered factors such as building size, use, attendance and previous incidents, covering different locations and operational settings. Measures included security screening equipment, security staff and body-worn video cameras. The programme also explored body-worn video for Community Payback supervisors working away from probation offices.

Consultation accompanied these physical changes. Trade union representatives and employee relations colleagues were involved in regular discussions, while frontline staff contributed experience of the risks and practical challenges. Senior leaders issued briefings, supported by the communications team, and regular updates explained what was changing and why. Staff briefings also provided a route for questions and concerns to reach decision-makers.

Training and emergency preparedness formed another part of the response. By the time of its September 2026 submission, HMPPS reported that more than 600 staff had received face-to-face personal safety training. Positive evaluation feedback had prompted work to consider wider delivery before the pilot evaluation concluded.

The service also reported implementing lockers, standardised health and safety noticeboards, defibrillators and catastrophic bleed control kits across more than 400 sites. Revised generic violence and aggression risk assessments had been implemented across the Probation Service, with health and safety teams providing audit and assurance activity to monitor progress.

Early feedback was encouraging. HMPPS reported that staff felt safer, fewer bags were being brought into offices and security screening was identifying more items for confiscation. It also reported no further knife incidents in the period of more than 12 months following the original incidents. These observations provide early evidence to examine, rather than proof that the risk has been eliminated or that individual measures caused the changes.

Evaluation of the seven pilot sites was set to continue into early 2027, with findings and violent-incident trends informing decisions by senior leaders and ministers. For the wider SHE community, the programme illustrates how leadership support, consultation and practical risk controls can work together. Its next stage is to use that evaluation to determine which improvements should be sustained and extended.

Based on HMPPS Probation Service’s submission and supporting materials for The SHE Show Inspiring Change Awards 2026. Programme progress and outcomes are as reported in September 2026.