Dyfed Powys Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) has received an overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Martin Jones, Chief Inspector of Probation, said: “Practitioners at Dyfed Powys showed fairness and flexibility in their work, and their engagement of people on probation was a real strength. However, as I have seen in every PDU since becoming Chief Inspector of Probation in March 2024, the quality of public protection work was insufficient in all areas, which resulted in their overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’.”

Given consistent deficiencies found in public protection work across the Service, from October 2025, HM Inspectorate of Probation will be undertaking a new, six-month Dynamic Inspection of Public Protection of all 12 probation regions.

At Dyfed Powys PDU, inspectors were impressed with the visibility of the leadership across the wide geographical area it covers. The human factors grounding underpinned daily operations which meant most teams felt cohesive and supportive. The human factors approach recognises human limitations and aims to create a culture of psychological safety for probation practitioners. Each team in the PDU has a 15-minute daily check in to explore issues, challenges, and failures.

Staffing levels also appeared healthy on paper; however not all staff felt the benefit of this during their working week.

Mr Jones continued: “Dyfed Powys has the culture to address these issues. Leaders were experienced, knowledgeable, and we wish them well in their plans to drive improvement.”

The report makes five recommendations to Dyfed Powys PDU. These include to make arrangements with Dyfed Powys Police to enable swift and unhindered access to intelligence about domestic abuse perpetrated by people on probation, and to ensure facilities to interview people on probation are safe, private and conducive to engagement.