MAPPA Annual Report 2002

1. Introduction

In Nottinghamshire, the development of systems to protect the

public has been built on an understanding, shared by partner
agencies in the field of criminal justice, child protection, social
and health care and housing, that the community is best
safeguarded by an inter-agency approach to risk of harm
assessment, planning and management.

In response to the Sex Offenders Act 1997, the Police and

Probation Services in Nottinghamshire began to develop
arrangements for sharing information, and for the assessment
and management of registered sex offenders. At the same time,
partner agencies concerned with the protection of children
charged Police and Probation with the task of developing an
inter-agency agreement on working together to protect the
public. As a result, under the auspices of the Area Child
Protection Committee, “The Inter-Agency Framework and
Procedures for the Risk Management of Potentially
Dangerous People in Nottinghamshire”, was implemented in
1998. Under this protocol agencies began to share information,
risk planning and the management of sex offenders and other
potentially dangerous cases. The police, probation and social
services, housing and mental health agencies were particularly
involved in these early arrangements.

We have built on these arrangements since 1998. This

document will provide details of the current arrangements made
in Nottinghamshire, and how they have developed following the
implementation of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act
2000. It also provides contact points for any further enquiries
including agencies, other than the police and probation, that are
included within our working together strategy and protocol.
2. Summary of Roles and Responsibilities
In Nottinghamshire in 1999, the
Police and Probation Services were
asked to develop a number of
options for progressing the joint
working arrangements already
implemented under the 1998
Protocol. Agreement was reached
by six agencies in Nottinghamshire
to set up and fund the post of the
Multi-Agency Public Protection
Panel Manager in April 2000.
Nottinghamshire Police Service,
National Probation Service
Nottinghamshire Area, Nottingham
City Council and Nottinghamshire
County Council, Nottingham Health
Authority and North
Nottinghamshire Health Authority
(including Nottinghamshire
Healthcare Trust from April 2001)
agreed a set of procedures for the
management of those individuals
who pose a risk of harm to the
public in Nottinghamshire. The
document, “The Nottinghamshire
Public Protection Protocol,
Policy, Guidance and
Procedures” also established the
Multi-Agency Public Protection
Panel Manager and was signed up
to by the partners in January 2001.
The Protocol contains a set of
procedures for sharing information
and the joint assessment and
management of risk. It already
formed the basis for the agencies
to undertake the role set up under
the Criminal Justice and Court
Services Act 2000. During the
fifteen months the procedures have
been in place, agencies who
originally agreed their
implementation have been joined
by others in the voluntary and
statutory sector. The Protocol is
being developed during 2002-3 to
include them.
Each agency offers a particular
perspective and holds a specific
role and set of responsibilities with
regard to the management of risk.
The Police and Probation Services
have defined statutory roles under
the Sex Offenders Act 1997 and
the Criminal Justice and Court
Services Act 2000.
Nottingham City and
Nottinghamshire County
Councils’ Social Services
Departments
The duties and responsibilities of
the Social Services include service
to vulnerable groups, both adults
and children. These include
services to children in need and
their families, older people,
disabled people and those with
mental health needs. In
Nottinghamshire the Social
Services Departments are also
committed to working with the
criminal justice agencies. Child
Protection Teams are used to
working together with police and
probation officers, and all the
partner agencies, in accordance
with the Area Child Protection
Procedures. Other teams within
the social services departments are
now following this model within the
multi-agency public protection
procedures. Work has been done
to devise risk action plans in risk
management meetings with social
work teams. This covers social
work teams for vulnerable people;
care teams in the community who
work with those with learning
disabilities and mental health
problems; and teams in hospitals
and residential establishments. All
these services have a part to play
in public protection, as have the
alcohol and drug projects provided
by the health authorities or
independent sector who work in
partnership with the statutory
agencies.
Nottingham Health Authority,
North Nottinghamshire Health
Authority and Nottinghamshire
Healthcare Trust
The Health Services cover a huge
range of provision, in particular in
the field of specialist forensic
mental health and learning
disabilities, and drug and alcohol
treatment. The Health Authorities
and Healthcare Trust are
committed to protecting their
service users across the breadth of
primary and secondary care
provision. Health providers share
information about those who we
believed to be a risk to others, and
take joint action to protect patients,
staff and the public. They also
engage with other agencies within
the public protection arrangements,
in the management of those users
of health provision who present a
risk of harm to themselves and
others.
Nottingham City and
Nottinghamshire County
Councils
The City Council is a unitary
authority with responsibility for a
wide range of functions and
services in addition to Social
Services, some of which have a
significant part to play in public
protection. Involvement in the
procedures is most likely to be from
the housing, leisure, education and
legal departments, but can include
almost any other, for example,
environmental or licensing
departments. The City Council is
committed to inter-agency work in
community safety and the
management of dangerous people
and therefore to the MAPPP
arrangements.
The County Council works for
public safety through partnerships
and forums and has committed
itself to the MAPP Protocol and
arrangements. The local district
and borough councils, with their
various functions within the
community, have an important part
to play in public protection.
Mansfield District Council has
formally committed to the operation
of the MAPPP and its
arrangements. Although all the
District and Borough Councils were
part of the earlier public protection
arrangements in 1998, we will be
returning to discuss with the
remaining councils (Ashfield,
Newark & Sherwood and
Bassettlaw Districts, Rushcliffe,
Gedling and Broxtowe Boroughs)
their agreement to more formal
commitment to the MAPPP
Protocol and arrangements.
The Statutory and Independent
Housing Sector
The statutory and
voluntary/independent housing
sectors have been essential in the
risk management plans drawn up
by agencies. The provision of
appropriate accommodation which
minimises an individual’s risk to
others is one of the most important
risk management tools we have
available. When a person is
housed as safely as possible, it
becomes easier for partner
agencies to monitor them, and put
other actions into place. At present
the Local Authority Housing
Departments are putting into place
their housing strategies, and all
local strategies will include
provision for vulnerable people
under various legislative initiatives.
Some council housing departments
have been whole heartedly
committed to their role in public
protection. There is close liaison
between them and the
police/probation services on an
individual level on all those, in
particular sex offenders, who
present a high risk of harm. Other
accommodation projects and
housing associations in the
independent sector have worked
determinedly and professionally
alongside the police, probation and
different social work or health
teams to maintain individuals in the
community in a way which
minimises their risk.
Nottingham City and
Nottinghamshire Youth
Offending Teams
In the statutory sector, the Youth
Offending Teams are part of the
criminal justice system. They
manage the young offenders who
may present a risk to others, but
who are also themselves
sometimes very damaged by their
current childhood experiences and
need to be protected from others.
The YOTs are therefore important
in the working together process
between child protection, police
and probation services. They are
committed to the MAPPP
arrangements and are part of the
risk management process at the
MAPP Panel.
The Prison Service Agency
During the year we have welcomed
a more proactive role from the
Prison Service Agency. Prisons
work alongside the police and
probation in information sharing
and risk management, as a matter
of course. However, the prison
service is now part of the MAPPP
Protocol, and there is an
acceptance that prison officers,
who have such an influential role to
play, attend meetings, take part in
drawing up plans for the transition
of individuals from prison to the
community, and take action to ease
that process and protect others.
During 2002-2003, we will be
developing the MAPP Protocol to
take into account the changes in
structure within the Health Service
and to include District Councils and
the Boroughs, so that all Housing
and Education and Leisure
Departments are formally part of
this working together partnership in
public protection. There will also be
links with victim contact work in the
probation service and independent
sector.
These agreements should be
concluded, and a revised MAPPP
Protocol, (following closely the CJ
and CS Act 2000), should be in
place by the end of 2002. The new
Protocol will be distributed to all our
partner agencies and services for
implementation.
3. Outline of the Arrangements Made
In Nottinghamshire the Police have a
specialist unit within CID for the
identification, assessment and
management of sexual and violent
offenders, not only those considered
under the Sex Offenders Act 1997
and Criminal Justice and Court
Services Act 2000.
The Dangerous Persons
Management Unit (DPMU) is
responsible for maintaining the
“register” of sex offenders obliged to
notify their details, and any changes,
to the police, and for pursuing
prosecutions for failures to comply
with the Act. The unit also assesses
and takes action on all offenders
who fall into the ‘relevant offender’
categories of the CJ and CS Act
2000 and acts on any intelligence
received on individuals who present
a risk of harm in the community.
The risk consideration procedures
undertaken by the detectives in the
DPMU, in conjunction with senior
officers, are done in close co-
operation with colleagues in
Probation and the Social Services
who are actively involved in the
issues of child protection, child
exploitation, protection of vulnerable
adults, others in the care sector, and
in the field of mental health. The
DPMU maintains responsibility for
managing all offenders whose
shared risk assessment indicates
that they are at either ‘high’ or ‘very
high’ risk of re-offending seriously.
The DPMU aims to continually
consider all offenders who pose a
serious risk of harm, and monitor
their situation.
Those relevant offenders who pose
a low or medium risk of offending
seriously, when assessed by all
agencies holding a responsibility e.g.
police, probation or prison, are
managed at a local level. This is
done at Local Area Command level
where officers can use their local
knowledge to monitor the situation
and liaise with the DPMU.
The DPMU officers work in
partnership through the Protocol in
managing high and very high risk
offenders. The Multi-Agency Public
Protection Panel (MAPPP) Manager
works alongside the detectives in the
DPMU. In this way professional
expertise, information, risk
assessment and management are
shared on a day to day basis and
liaison takes place between police
and probation and other relevant
agencies, at an immediate level.
Probation staff in
Nottinghamshire undertake a risk
assessment of all individuals in
contact with the service. This
process starts pre-court, where
information is shared with Police,
Social Services or the Health
Authority as appropriate. In respect
of the relevant offenders under the
CJ and CS Act 2000, the risk
assessment process begins at the
Pre-Sentence Report stage (if one is
prepared) or soon after sentence, to
enable the prison to plan the
offending behaviour work to be
undertaken before release.
All assessments are made using
information from other agencies and
those deemed medium or high risk
are reviewed at key stages in their
sentence. Risk assessments and
management plans are reviewed
regularly as part of the supervision of
offenders. The Probation Service
practice procedures include the
expectation that those offenders who
pose a high risk of harm are
registered with the Probation Service
and managed through the multi-
agency framework of the Risk
Strategy Meeting, and those who
present the highest risk of serious
harm are managed through the
MAPP Panel.
The Police and Probation Services
work together under the CJ and
CS Act 2000 arrangements, and
with other agencies on a day to day
basis. In the main, there needs to be
no more inter agency action than
sharing information and making a
multi-agency risk assessment. Most
offenders are managed by one
agency on the basis of that shared
information. However, the
assessment and management of
those who present a high risk of
serious harm are undertaken
through the multi-agency
arrangements set out in the
Nottinghamshire Public
Protection Protocol.
The Protocol sets out procedures
for all partner agencies to follow and
provides for a multi agency Risk
Strategy Meeting (RSM). This is
convened by any agency concerned
about, or holding responsibility for,
an individual when they consider that
the risks presented would be best
managed by a multi-agency
approach. The purpose of the Risk
Strategy Meeting is to:
• share information,
• make a joint assessment of
what risks are posed,
• consider the imminence of
those risks, identifying any
potential victims,
• decide whether further
agencies should be involved
and where information should
be passed on to increase
protection of the public,
• agree what actions each
agency should take.
Risk Strategy Meetings are
convened by the responsible
agency. If there is no other agency
involvement, the DPMU will take that
responsibility.
When any agency, through their risk
procedures, assesses an individual
as presenting the highest risk of
serious harm to the community, that
individual is referred to the Multi-
Agency Public Protection Panel
(MAPPP). The Panel is reserved for
only the most serious offenders
within the agencies.
Referrals are made to the MAPPP
Manager, working within Police
Headquarters (CID) alongside the
DPMU. If the individual meets the
criteria for presentation at the Panel,
the case will be heard at the next
Panel Meeting. The Panel objectives
mirror the RSM objectives: the
Panel is attended by senior
representatives of the agencies who
can commit resources to a risk
management plan. The MAPP Panel
meets on a pre-determined date,
monthly. It is convened and chaired
by the MAPPP Manager and has the
service of an Administrator.
The MAPP Panel comprises senior
managers representing: Police,
Probation, Child Protection and other
Social Services, the Health Services,
Forensic Psychology, Local Authority
Housing, the Prison Service, and
Youth Offending Teams. The City
and County Social Services
Departments and both the City and
County Health Providers are
included in the core membership of
the Panel.
Each month individual cases are
presented to the Panel by referring
agencies, for example by a
Probation Officer accompanied by a
Senior Probation Officer. There is a
process for the inclusion of senior
managers from other departments,
projects or agencies on particular
cases where resources, expertise, or
specialist information is required.
The Panel comes to a joint
assessment of what risks are posed,
and devises a risk management
plan. The proceedings and the
decisions taken are noted by the
Administrator who acts as secretary
to the Panel. The Panel also decides
whether the individual should be
registered on the Public Protection
Register. The Panel members
discuss individuals who pose the
highest risk of serious harm and
whose risks are clearly difficult to
manage, but also cases that are of
intense media interest or for whom
resources need to be committed at a
senior level. The Public Protection
Register is held, in confidence, by
the MAPPP Manager. The role of the
MAPPP Manager is to manage and
co-ordinate the operation of the
Panel on behalf of all the agencies
involved. From 1st April 2001 to 31st
March 2002, 37 individuals were
considered by the MAPP Panel and
24 were registered on the Public
Protection Register.
Risk management plans contain
different agency actions, or ways of
limiting the opportunity for an
individual to seriously harm another.
There may be decisions about prison
licence conditions to ensure an
offender undertakes a treatment
programme, receives drug/alcohol
treatment, or attends
psychiatric/psychologist
appointments. In addition, more
controlling measures such as
curfews and electronic monitoring
can be decided upon, or measures
to prevent an individual entering a
certain area or living with children or
young people. Conditions of
residence and the allocation of
appropriate housing are crucial
decisions at Panels. When there is a
statutory supervisory agency, there
are more risk management tools to
be used. When the police are the
only agency involved with a very
high risk case, the panel
arrangements can ensure that the
high risk individual remains the focus
of a multi-agency approach.
The Sex Offender Order was
introduced in the 1998 Crime and
Disorder Act. It is a civil order
applied for, and managed by, the
police. It is a preventative order
which is used primarily with
offenders who have come to the
attention of agencies because their
inappropriate behaviour is causing
concern. An offence has not been
committed, but the individual’s
behaviour may be mirroring their
previous pre-offending behaviour.
The decision to pursue a Sex
Offender Order to manage a sex
offender is always taken on a multi-
agency basis, at a Risk Strategy
Meeting or a Panel Meeting. The
final decision is made at senior
officer level in the Police Service and
the DPMU officers apply for and
manage the Orders.
Nottinghamshire has used the Sex
Offender Order in appropriate cases
over the last two years.
The confidentiality criteria within the
MAPP Protocol govern the
information sharing processes at the
Panel, Risk Strategy Meetings and
within the MAPPP arrangements.
4. Strategic Management Arrangements
The multi-agency public protection
protocol arrangements and
procedures are overseen by a
strategic management Steering
Group. The Steering Group
represents, at a strategic level, the
member agencies who have made a
commitment to the multi agency
management of potentially
dangerous people in
Nottinghamshire. It is convened and
chaired on a rotating basis by the
Nottinghamshire Police Service and
Nottinghamshire Area Probation
Service.
The Steering Group meets six
monthly and is currently reviewing
its membership to better reflect
executive representation and
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Disclosure
The Public Protection Protocol
contains Nottinghamshire’s
principles with respect to the
disclosure of information. The main
principle is that disclosure should
increase people’s ability to protect
themselves or others and should
be an agreed strategy, with clear
boundaries, in a multi-agency risk
management plan. The police have
an important and general power to
disclose information for the
prevention, detection and reduction
of crime, and all partner agencies
have agreed that disclosure should
be used, but only after a careful
assessment of the risk on a case
by case basis. In practice, each
appropriate strategic oversight. The
MAPPP Manager reports to the
Steering Group, and an Annual
Report was prepared for the year
1/4/00-31/3/01 and circulated to
member agencies, the Area Child
Protection Committees and
Community Safety Strategy Boards.
At present the agencies are operating
strategically with the following
representation:
Police and Probation – Assistant Chief
level
Nottinghamshire Health Authority –
Assistant Director of Commissioning
case for disclosure is considered
carefully on its particular facts,
assessing the risks posed by the
subject, the vulnerability of those
who may be at risk, and the impact
of disclosure. The assessment is
made on an inter-agency basis and
any decision to recommend
disclosure is a matter for the
professional judgement of the
agencies through the vehicle of a
Risk Strategy Meeting or the Public
Protection Panel. Any
recommendation to disclose must
be approved by the police at
Assistant Chief Constable level.
North Nottinghamshire Health
Authority – Commissioning Manager
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS
Trust – Consultant Clinical
Psychologist
Nottingham City and
Nottinghamshire County Councils –
Nominees from the Chief Executives’
Offices.
The Steering Group functions
involve strategic management, policy
formulation, strategic review,
budgetary control and the
progression of the principle of
shared ownership of public
protection within agencies and the
wider community.
In Nottinghamshire, disclosure has
been made to individuals either
directly affected by the risk of harm,
or with a level of responsibility
towards others and an ability to act
on the information to protect
themselves or others. Advice has
been given by the police or other
professionals disclosing the
information, on how to manage it in
protecting themselves or a specified
other person. Disclosure to the
general public has not been
undertaken; general disclosure,
without a plan for the recipients to
manage the information, could
increase the risks to the public of
disorder and anxiety and would not
give them protection.
The power of disclosure has been
exercised in Nottinghamshire as
part of management plans to
protect the public. We have
disclosed information on the risks
presented to employers where
particular offenders have taken
jobs (and not disclosed their
previous convictions) which give
them access to vulnerable people.
Disclosures have been made to
supportive communities such as
religious groups where offenders
have access to families and
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Victim Work
The Nottinghamshire Probation
Area is committed to enhancing
the position of victims of crime
within the criminal justice system;
there is also a strong link between
the statutory victim contact service
provided by probation, and victim
support schemes locally.
Direct victim contact work is
undertaken by a specialist team of
probation officers and team
assistants, located within the
courts, throughout the service. A
detailed policy and practice
guidelines are in place which direct
the work of the Probation Service
Victim Contact Unit.
In line with the Criminal Justice and
Court Services Act 2000, Section
therefore to children; a contract has
then been drawn up between the
community leader and the offender
which limits their opportunities and
safeguards children. Other
disclosures have been made to
housing projects in order to protect
other residents through monitoring
or moving the subject to more
appropriate accommodation.
Disclosure has also been used to
the management of projects for
vulnerable people and those on the
streets of the City to prevent serious
69, victims of serious sexual and other
violent crimes are contacted by the
Victim Contact Unit officers within two
months of an offender being
sentenced to custody for a period of
12 months or more. Victims are given
the opportunity to be kept informed
about the custodial sentence, of
expressing any concerns about the
offender’s eventual return to the
community, and to make
representations concerning conditions
which could be attached to a prison
licence.
Victim Support is the national charity
for people affected by crime. It is an
independent organisation, offering a
free and confidential service, whether
or not a crime has been reported.
Trained staff and volunteers at local
harm to the staff and users of the
support or accommodation project.
All the disclosures made have been
agreed on an individual basis; the
particular information has been
specific to the risks presented and
has been given alongside advice on
how to use it. On occasions the
subject themselves have been
forewarned that information will be
disclosed, in an effort to encourage
them to self disclose.
branches offer information and
support to victims, witnesses, their
families and friends.
Victim Support provides the
Witness Service, based in every
criminal court in England and
Wales, to offer assistance before,
during and after a trial. You can
also call the Victim Supportline –
0845 30 30 900 – for more
information and support and details
of local services and relevant
organisations.
Victim Contact and Victim
Support Scheme details are
provided at the end of this
Nottinghamshire section.
7. Statistical Information
NUMBER OF SEXUAL, VIOLENT AND OTHER OFFENDERS COVERED BY MULTI-AGENCY PUBLIC PROTECTION ARRANGEMENTS (MAPPA)

Registered sex Sex Offender Orders 1 April 01 – 31 March 02

offenders Violent offenders and Other offenders
(RSOs) in RSOs per SOs other sex offenders 01/04/01 –
community on 100,000 cautioned/ (a) (b) (c ) (d) 01/04/01 – 31/03/02 31/03/02
31/03/02 (s68(2) population convicted for total granted not applications (s68(3)(4)&(5) (s67)(2)(b)CJ&CS
CJ&CS Act breaches of applied for granted still in CJ&CS Act 2000 – Act 2000 – see C
2000 – see A registration progress see B below) below)
below requirement

Nottinghamshire 591 57 47 14 12 0 2 829 4

( A ) Registered Sex Offenders – s68 (2) CJ&CS Act 2000: an offender who is subject to the notification requirements of Part 1 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997.

( B ) Violent Offenders & Other Sex Offenders – defined by s68 (3)(4)(5) CJ&CS Act 2000:
(3) A person falls within this subsection if:
(a) he is convicted by a court in England or Wales of a sexual or violent offence (within the meaning of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000), and
(b) one of the following sentences is imposed on him in respect of the conviction
(i) a sentence of imprisonment for a term of 12 months or more,
(ii) a sentence of detention in a young offender institution for a term of 12 months or more,
(iii) a sentence of detention during Her Majesty’s Pleasure,
(iv) a sentence of detention for a period of 12 months or more under section 91 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 (offenders under 18 convicted
of certain serious offences),
(v) a detention and training order for a term of 12 months or more, or
(vi) a hospital or guardianship order within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983.
(4) A person falls within this subsection if:
(a) he is found not guilty by a court in England and Wales of a sexual or violent offence (within the meaning of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000) by
reason of insanity or to be under a liablility and to have done the act charged against him in respect of such an offence, and
(b) one of the following orders is made in respect of the act charged against him as the offence
(i) an order that he be admitted to hospital or
(ii) a guardianship order within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983.
(5) A person falls within the subsection if the first condition set out in section 28(2) or 29(2) or the second condition set out in section 28(3) or 29(3) is satisfied in his case.

( C ) Other Offenders – s67 (2) (b) CJ&CS Act 2000: an offender considered by the responsible authority to be person who may cause serious harm to the public.
 Additional Costs Of Local Arrangements

Probation Board Police Other Agencies Total

£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000

Staff Costs 52 52

Other costs 5 5

Total Expenditure 57 10 37 57

Income 47 47

Net Expenditure 10 10

NB: The Probation Board keeps the accounts for the MAPPP expenditure. The Income shown equals the contribution from the
police and other agencies.
Contacts
MAPPP Protocol Address Phone

National Probation Service, Nottinghamshire Area Head Office 0115 840 6461
Marina Road
Fax: 0115 840 6452 Castle Marina
Email: Nottingham
NG7 1TP
general.enquiries@nottinghamshire.probation.gsx.gov.uk

Nottinghamshire Police Service Force Headquarters 0115 9420999

Sherwood Lodge
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 8PP

Gedling PCTC Carlton House Clinic 0115 840 5921

61 Burton Road
Carlton
NG4 3DQ

Chief Executive’s Office County Hall 0115 982 3823

Notts County Council West Bridgford
Nottingham
NG2 7QP

Chief Executive’s Office The Guildhall 0115 915 5555

Nottingham City Council South Sherwood Street (switchboard)
Nottingham
NG1 4BT

City Social Services Directorate 14 Hounds Gate 0115 915 5500

Nottingham
Victim Services Address Phone

Nottinghamshire Probation Area

County Victim Contact Team 46 Nottingham Road 01623 460843

Mansfield
NG18 1BL

City Victim Contact Team 2nd Floor 0115 859 9423

Albion House
5-13 Canal Street
Nottingham
NG1 7EG

Victim Support Scheme

National Support Line 0845 30 30 900

Local Victim Support Scheme

Area Office 2 King Edward Court 0115 852 3507

County Manager King Edward Street
Nottingham
Email: victimsupportnot@onetel.net.uk NG1 1EL

Manager – Outreach Service 0115 844 5095

Mansfield & Ashfield 01623 450 088

Nottingham City 0115 844 5993

North & East Nottinghamshire 01909 500 455

(Bassetlaw, Newark & Sherwood)

South Nottinghamshire 0115 844 6070

Witness Service Address Phone

Manager – Witness 1 Queens Road 0115 986 9924

Service Nottingham
NG2 3AS
British Transport Police

Email: witnessservice.centre@virgin.net