Paul Goggins

New arrangements between the police and other bodies dealing with dangerous offenders are protecting the public better than ever, a Home Office minister has said.

Paul Goggins was speaking as the 42 organisations in England and Wales involved in the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) published their annual reports.

Under the MAPPA scheme, the police, probation and prisons services are encouraged to work with other local partners including housing, health and social services to manage the risk to the public posed by dangerous offenders.

In 2003/04 some 39,622 offenders were covered by MAPPA arrangements, with 2,152 of those subject to special procedures having been designated as high risk.

"In the MAPPA we have a system of managing and monitoring dangerous offenders that is world-leading, and succeeds in protecting the public better than ever before," said Goggins.

"The arrangements have enabled police, probation and prisons, with the committed involvement of partner agencies, to work at their very best in supervising dangerous cases through active co-operation with each other."

The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 first established the MAPPA and placed them on a statutory basis and the 2003 Criminal Justice Act strengthened the provisions and allowed lay advisers to be appointed to teach of the 42 strategic management boards.

"We can never eliminate the risks posed by dangerous offenders, but we can do a huge amount to minimise them and protect our communities," the minister added.

"As a society we have to face up to the fact that there are dangerous offenders in all our communities and manage the risks they pose.

"The small proportion of offenders that pose the highest risk are more closely scrutinised than ever by the multi-agency public protection panels (MAPPPs).

"And only a very small proportion - this year as low as one per cent - of offenders referred to MAPPAs are charged with serious further offences."