WISDOM

Wales Integrated Serious and Dangerous Offender Management (WISDOM)

WISDOM is financed by the Police Transformation Fund, which supports projects aimed at transforming policing. It facilitates innovative projects which seek to develop and test new tactics and capabilities aimed at addressing the changing nature of crime and demand on police and partner organisations.

The WISDOM project was developed in response to those offenders posing a high risk of harm to the public being identified as a priority group in the Wales Reducing Reoffending Strategy 2014-2016, and the focus on this group reflects the impact their offending can have on victims and communities. WISDOM forms part of the response of partners in working with priority groups identified in the ‘Framework to support positive change for those at risk of offending in Wales 2018-2023’ who may also pose a high risk of serious harm to the public.  

The aim of WISDOM is to better protect the public by preventing serious crime. It seeks to reduce reoffending and the risk of serious harm via a multi-agency team comprising the Police, National Probation Service, forensic psychological services and other local partners working together to increase public protection arrangements. 

Through the combined efforts of partners, WISDOM seeks to improve the identification, assessment and day-to day management of offenders who cause serious harm.

The design of the programme is intended to compliment Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) and act as a support to MAPPA in the day to day management of offenders.

Types of offenders who fall within the WISDOM definition of high risk of causing serious harm include:

  • Sexual and violent offenders
  • Priority domestic abuse perpetrators
  • Individuals engaged in serious and organised crime 
  • High risk foreign nationals, amongst other dangerous priority groups

Key features of the programme include co-located offender management units to better manage risk and forensic psychological and health services to provide offender interventions, clinical supervision and training. Bespoke packages of interventions and deterrence mechanisms for high risk offenders are also provided under the WISDOM project.

Progress to date

Phase 1 of the WISDOM project has focused on establishing  five co-located multi-agency pilot sites across Wales, and an evaluation of this first phase is currently being undertaken by Nottingham University.