In 1999, the response to the growing multiagency agenda for public protection and in particular the possible closer collaboration between police and probation services on their traditional roles, the emerging phenomenon, a fusion of police and probation roles into one entity, the ‘polibation officer’ was cultivated and developed in the United Kingdom. The emergence of a polibation officer was a product of tough times. For the probation service, it hinted at organizational survival when its future, for a time, looked in doubt. For the police service, it offered the chance to utilize the expertise of another agency in its new responsibilities for sex offenders in the community, and built upon best practice in child protection cases and the increasing multiagency collaboration over mental health cases. However, with the advent of the polibation officer, the polibation officer had become the embodiment of a process which had bureaucratized and pigeonholed risk. There was government concern with the big issues of the day: terrorism and immigration. Public protection was growing exponentially. With that said, the Home Office planned to split the functions and shift lines of accountability of police and probation staff. The decoupling of the polibation officer may result in the two main players, police and probation focusing on what they do best and then bringing those experiences together. This paper examines the fusion process of police and probation, explores the pros and cons of fused roles, and the decoupling of police and probation. References