内容摘要：Police found no evidence he had a bad time there or bore any grudge, rather that his first-hand knowledge "would make his plan that much easier", said Det Ch Insp Khanna.

Police found no evidence he had a bad time there or bore any grudge, rather that his first-hand knowledge "would make his plan that much easier", said Det Ch Insp Khanna.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said there was a "huge strain on probation staff whose hard work, despite these challenges, is rightfully recognised by inspectors".They continued: “One first step is the recruitment of 1,000 probation officers nationwide to combat staff shortages and reduce workloads so that the probation service can better protect the public and cut crime."

Holding his chin in his hand and staring into the distance, a probation officer tells me how he planned to end his life."I started to prepare how I was going to do it," he says. "I needed to get out of this work situation - I'd been doing the job for so long and it had got even busier and chaotic. I just couldn't cope and I needed an exit."His face is expressionless and his voice is solemn.

Thinking about his family stopped him from going ahead - but he says panic attacks have become a regular occurrence because of his increasing workload."It happens three or four times a week," he tells me. "Waves of nausea, heart racing, profuse sweating, and I wake up in the night thinking: 'Have I missed something at work that could lead to someone getting hurt?'

"This is no way to live."

This isn't an isolated case - the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO), which represents thousands of probation officers in England and Wales, says its members are "burning out due to the relentlessly high workloads"."I couldn't undo my dog's lead and I thought I'd just stay under the table with her.

"Everyone was smashing things on the table," she said.BBC reporter Scott Ellis followed the protests throughout the day.

He said: "There's been three or four hours or either stand offs or running battles through the city centre's streets."You can see people having a nice drink in the sun and the next thing is there will be protesters running back, throwing things at the police who are coming through with dogs and horses."