A stronger staff complement is expected to ease pressure on the Probation Service, with seven new officers joining to bring its total to 16, Chief Probation Officer Dr Angela Dixon has said, raising hopes for quicker report preparation and more focused supervision across the criminal justice system.

She told Barbados TODAY that while concerns have been raised about delays in preparing pre-sentencing reports, the recent recruitment drive is expected to ease some of the pressure the department is experiencing.

“We were privileged to get seven new officers this month, so I would not be in a position to tell you whether or not having those seven officers is going to have right now, because they’ve just come. What I can tell you is that yes, it’s definitely going to help, and it is going to help us to reduce the backlog.”