The Parole Officer

The Parole Officer
Theatrical poster, featuring supposed quotations from other Coogan comedy characters.
Directed by	John Duigan
Produced by	Duncan Kenworthy Andrew Macdonald
Written by	Steve Coogan Henry Normal
Starring	Steve Coogan Om Puri Steven Waddington Ben Miller Emma Williams Brad Sewell
Music by	Alex Heffes
Cinematography	John Daly
Edited by	David Freeman
Distributed by	DNA Films Universal Pictures
Release date	10 August 2001
Running time	93 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£5,998,955

The Parole Officer is a 2001 British comedy film, directed by John Duigan. It was the first feature film to star comedian Steve Coogan. The film follows a diverse group of former criminals as they assist their probation officer in proving his innocence after a murder accusation.

Simon Garden is a well-meaning but ineffectual probation officer. At the beginning of the film, he is facing a tribunal after all of his colleagues in his department in Blackpool submit complaints against him, Garden having only had three successes in his career. He is therefore transferred to Manchester. He has hypoglycemia and therefore regularly eats crisps.

In Manchester, he starts his new role and meets an attractive WPC, Emma. While looking into the case of a "client", Kirsty, a juvenile delinquent who had had Class A drugs planted on her, Simon witnesses the murder of an accountant by corrupt police officer Detective Inspector Burton. He is discovered, chased from the building by two bouncers and after being cornered, ends up falling into a canal. However, he has inadvertently left his wallet containing identification at the crime scene and is duly framed for the accountant's murder by DI Burton. Simon goes to the police with the story, but ends up being interviewed by Burton, who is leading the investigation. He releases Simon, but threatens him with prison unless he keeps quiet about his drugs scam and the murder.

Simon first decides to leave Manchester for good and, feeling down, rejects the offer of a meal from Emma. While away from the city he walks past a shop where the TV in the window happens to be showing an interview with Burton, who will be receiving a bravery award, and also triggers his memory of the murder – he realises that a CCTV camera had filmed the whole event. He realises that this security tape will clear his name and show that Burton was the real murderer. He returns to the club where the murder took place to try to find the tape, only to discover that it has been taken to a bank and placed in a safety deposit box. Simon sets out to round up his four successful ex-clients. He visits George in Blackpool and convinces him to join the plan. They then recruit Jeff, who has been working as a fishmonger, and Colin, who has been working in a computer shop. They visit the home of the former master-criminal Viktor, only to find his wife and his grave; his wife takes them to Viktor's secret underground workshop and says they can take whatever equipment they want from his extensive selection of technology and safe-cracking kit.