The Secretary of State, Rt Hon. , confirmed today (18
January 2023) that the preferred candidate to be the next Prisons
and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) is Adrian Usher.
Adrian Usher has been selected following a rigorous assessment
process conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for
Public Appointments. The PPO is appointed by the Secretary of
State for Justice and the process regulated by the Commissioner
for Public Appointments
The role is subject to pre-appointment hearing by the Justice
Select Committee. Pre-appointment scrutiny is an important part
of the appointment process for some of the most significant
public appointments made by Ministers. It is designed to provide
an added level of scrutiny to the appointment process.
Pre-appointment hearings are held in public and allow a Select
Committee to take evidence before a candidate is appointed.
Ministers consider the Committee’s views before deciding whether
to proceed with the appointment.
The role of the PPO was established in 1994 to be an independent
adjudicator of complaints from prisoners following the Woolf
Inquiry into the 1990 riots at Strangeways and other prisons. Its
remit has since expanded to include probation complaints and
complaints from immigration detainees. Further, the PPO now
carries out investigations into deaths of prisoners, young people
in detention, approved premises’ residents and immigration
detainees.
The PPO’s office is operationally independent of, though
sponsored by, the MOJ. The role is not defined in legislation but
works to the Terms of Reference set by the Secretary of State.
Biography
Mr Usher has had an extensive career as a Senior Police Officer
for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), joining in 2003. He
has previously served on both Counter-Terrorism and
Anti-Corruption Commands and has been a Senior Investigating
Officer in a variety of roles. Currently, he is the Commander for
Learning and Development in the MPS where he leads the training
requirements across policing operations including changing
training to accommodate new legislation, judicial and law
enforcement best practice and improving policing standards.
