The Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State
for Justice, Rt Hon. , has announced the
appointment of Adrian Usher as Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
for a tenure of three years. His appointment will commence on 24
April 2023 and will run until 23 April 2026.
Mr Usher’s appointment follows a report from the Justice Select
Committee into his suitability for the role, published on 25
January, and a public hearing with the committee held on 24
January.
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 recently retired from an extensive career as a
Senior Police Officer for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS),
joining in 1987. He has previously served on both
Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Corruption Commands and has been a
Senior Investigating Officer in a variety of roles. He retired as
Commander for Learning and Development in the MPS where he led
the training requirements across policing operations including
changing training to accommodate new legislation, law enforcement
best practice and improving policing standards.