SUFFOLK'S top probation boss today welcomed a £40million injection in funding which he said would help to reduce re-offending.John Budd, the Chief Officer of Suffolk Probation Area, welcomed the Government's decision to provide extra funding to the probation service.

SUFFOLK'S top probation boss today welcomed a £40million injection in funding which he said would help to reduce re-offending.

John Budd, the Chief Officer of Suffolk Probation Area, welcomed the Government's decision to provide extra funding to the probation service.

The cash boost was announced by Justice Minister David Hanson, who wants the money to be spent on community sentences, which the government says have proved more effective at reducing re-offending than short-term prison sentences.

Suffolk Probation Area manages and enforces community orders handed out by the courts. These orders include a range of requirements from carrying out unpaid work on a community project to undertaking a course to tackle drink driving.

An enforcement team at Suffolk Probation ensures that offenders complete their community orders - and has the power to send them back to court for further sentencing if they repeatedly fail to turn up.

Mr Budd said: “This extra funding will enable us to carry out our work even more effectively.

“At this stage we do not know exactly how much we will be getting in Suffolk. It will be a significant additional resource.

“We will be using the resources to strengthen our capacity to deliver effective offender management and a range of interventions which the courts in Suffolk will continue to have confidence to use.”

In the last four years there has been a 21per cent rise in the number of offenders reporting to Suffolk Probation Area on community orders.

Last year offenders on community orders supervised by Suffolk Probation Area carried out more than 100,000 hours of unpaid work, ranging from decorating community centres to working in charity shops.