Moves to ease prison overcrowding by using alternative forms of punishment for offenders have been welcomed by a county MP on a visit to the offices of the probation service in Shrewsbury.

North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson was in Shrewsbury recently for a meeting with the chairman of the West Mercia Probation Service, James Kelly. Mr Paterson is now a member of the coalition Government’s cabinet.

He also met Michelle Hatfield, head of the probation service in Shropshire.

Mr Paterson said he would urge fellow Government ministers to consider ways of punishing certain offenders without the need for prison and increasing non-custodial punishments.

Mr Paterson said the work being done in Shropshire by the probation service was encouraging in a climate of public spending cuts.

He said: “I salute the work of the probation service.

“We agreed on the strategy for helping offenders back to work and James Kelly and his team were highly supportive of initiatives being taken by the Government on short term sentencing, rehabilitation and co-operation with the voluntary sector.

“This was an excellent meeting and I have promised to raise various issues with my ministerial colleagues. I also look forward to seeing some of their volunteers working with probationers.”

He also met a number of the 50 volunteers who currently work with the Shropshire Probation Service.

He said he was encouraged by the way offenders given a community order by the courts could receive a wide range of options.

Currently these include unpaid work, also known as community payback, drug or alcohol treatment programmes plus literacy and numeracy training to aid in the rehabilitation of offenders.

Mr Paterson also praised the probation service for sharing its expertise with Shropshire Council staff.

Council employees sometimes supervise offenders doing environmental services or forestry work.

By Tom Johannsen