Major progress has been made towards meeting recommendations for improvements to the island’s parole system set down in a landmark public inquiry, says the Home Affairs Minister.

An independent inquiry commissioned after the tragic death of Gwen Valentine in April 2014 produced 26 separate recommendations.

The inquiry led by Geoffrey Karran MBE, looked into the circumstances of parole being granted to the individual who subsequently caused Mrs Valentine’s death while still on licence. The final report was received in 2017.

An update has now been published. It shows 19 recommendations have been implemented, five are still being addressed and two are not being pursued.

Measures put in place include a custody release plan to ensure robust arrangements are in place for those granted parole, with a view to public safety. The prison and probation service now operates a 24/7 on-call system, so police officers can report concerns about breaches of parole conditions.

Home Affairs Minister Bill Malarkey said: ’Considerable progress had been made. The department is committed to examining the parole process on an ongoing basis to monitor its effectiveness, and we will introduce further improvements where identified.’

He praised the positive involvement of Mrs Valentine’s son Stuart.