His Honour Judge Andrew Bright QC, Resident Judge at St Albans Crown Court, presented the prizes at the event, which also included an award by Hertfordshire Probation to one of the many organisations that work with them to reduce re-offending in the county.

Afterwards Judge Bright said: "I have always regarded the Probation Service as the unsung heroes of the Criminal Justice System. It was a privilege to be able to present the awards and to see the outstanding contributions made by the award-winners properly recognised.

"Recent government plans to reduce the prison population will increase the burden on the Probation Service at a time when their budgets are being reduced and staff are already coping with ever-greater workloads.

"As a Judge, I never cease to be impressed with the professionalism of Probation Service staff who continue to provide a constant stream of thorough and helpful pre-sentence reports designed to help the sentencer decide the appropriate sentence.

"I am confident that despite the constraints within which the service is having to work, Probation Officers will continue to meet the exacting standards we have come to expect of them."

Winners at the event included:

Best Contribution to the Work of the Service - Training Manager Rosie Ball based in our Hertford office

Rosie was nominated for her role in developing new national training arrangements and for being an excellent manager.

The audience was told: "The list of Rosie's contributions are easily overlooked because of her pragmatic and self-effacing nature. There are countless stories of how she has enabled managers and staff to overcome obstacles and effectively undertake their job."

The Partnership Award – for a non-Probation Service colleague: Frank Baisdon of the YMCA Central Herts

Frank works with Probation and the police across the county to find housing opportunities for offenders, and in his first year achieved nearly double his target.

The audience was told: "Frank has far exceeded his targets for finding housing for people – in his first year his target was 120 people and he achieved 213. He is utterly polite, cheerful, professional and pragmatic, often going the extra mile. Frank is simply a superman!"

Equalities & Diversity Award – Court Probation Officer Cheryl St Luce, based in Hertford

Cheryl was nominated for organising and promoting events for the Black & Asian Workers Group

The audience was told: "Cheryl has shown leadership and commitment to the group and deserves recognition"

The Make a Difference Award - Service Resource Assistant Victoria Clow based in Watford

Viki played a huge part in setting up a new computer-based system used by Probation Officers to supervise offenders

The audience was told: "Without Viki pushing this process through I don't think we would have achieved such an excellent result."

The Employee of the Year Awards: Probation Service Officer Maureen McGovern, Centre Manager Sonia Scully and Senior Probation Officer Nicky Bond

About Maureen – based in St Albans

Maureen's work with women offenders impressed the judges

The audience was told: "Maureen always goes above and beyond her daily work to help out her female offenders. They are constantly ringing her for help and advice. Maureen is an outstanding team player and a much loved colleague – the office is a warmer place when Maureen is around!"

About Sonia – based in Hertford and Stevenage

Sonia is responsible for our Hertford and Stevenage offices and has worked tirelessly in managing staff there.

The audience was told: "Sonia has gained the respect of all her colleagues. It is said Sonia is always on hand to answer queries and offer advice and support in her own inimitable style."

About Nicky – based in Hatfield

Nicky had excelled as a manager, and her dedication in helping to improve performance won her this award.

The audience was told: "Nicky works with integrity and professionalism. She is reliable, thoughtful and a supportive colleague."

Hertfordshire Probation Trust Chief Executive Tessa Webb said: "All the winners were nominated by colleagues from within the service, and it is really good to see how proud staff are of each other's achievements.

"These awards have been given to some exceptional people within the Trust but there are indeed many others who work with dedication and commitment to help keep Hertfordshire a safe place to live."

Tessa added: "I was particularly pleased to present an award to Frank Baisden. Reoffending can only be reduced in the county if organisations work together and there is plenty of evidence that if someone has somewhere to live they are less likely to reoffend. Less reoffending means fewer victims.

ENDS

Photos and more info:
 
for photos of individual winners and for more information about them, please contact Communications Officer Barbara McSweeney tel 01992 504444

For interview with Frank Baisden please contact YMCA Central Herts