Tuesday 24th November, 2009

MPs visit Swindon Clean and Green project

MPs visit Swindon Clean and Green project South West Regional Minister Jim Knight and South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove met a group of supervised offenders undertaking unpaid Community Payback work at Mead Park in Freshbrook, Swindon on 19 November.

The Swindon ‘Clean and Green’ project they visited is helping to tackle anti–social behaviour in an area of parkland where young adults have been meeting late at night to take drugs, setting light to trees and causing other acts of vandalism close to residential properties. The work demonstrates how justice is being done while improving public spaces in local areas.

Commenting on the scheme, Mr Knight, said: “It is important that the public can see that justice is being done and Community Payback schemes like this one in Swindon are a crucial part of that. It demonstrates that community sentences are not a soft option and offenders have to face up to the consequences of their crimes.”

The Wiltshire Probation Community Payback team is partnering Swindon Borough Council's Parks department on a range of projects to help turnaround areas prone to anti–social behavior. Each offender wears a high visibility jacket with the Community Payback logo on it and works an average of 7 hours a week.

“The offenders have been clearing up the criminal acts of others which is very apt,” remarked Michael Bray, Councillor for Freshbrook and Grange Park. “I think Community Payback is a good thing and local residents who are sick and tired of teenagers causing damage to the park close to their homes say that they are also pleased with what the Wiltshire Probation Community Payback team is doing.”

“It is vital to offenders and Wiltshire Probation Area, that even though their Community Order is a punishment, the hard work they achieve is recognised on a national platform as well as locally. It also gives the offenders another chance to feedback on how this type of punishment affects them and their offending behavior,” commented Tracy Geiran, Project Coordinator for Wiltshire Probation.

In Swindon, during the 12 months to October 2009, 363 Community Payback sentences were imposed. Over the last year more than 35,500 hours of Community Payback were completed in the area which equates to approximately £205,000 worth of free labour going back into the community.

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