- part of 6-month pilot with offenders carrying out up to
20,000 hours of hard graft
- forms part of government’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan,
published in March 2023
Offenders will be on call to swiftly clean up egregious instances
of fly-tipping, vandalism and littering as part of a new
government plan to tackle the scourge of anti-social behaviour.
Rapid deployment teams - made up of offenders serving Community
Payback sentences, kitted out in high vis jackets - will be sent
to communities up and down the country to carry out local
clean-ups, called upon within 48 hours of cases being reported to
the Probation Service.
The pilot will see offenders carry out up to 20,000 hours of hard
graft in just 6 months, ensuring that they are paying for their
crimes while giving back to the communities they have harmed.
Each year, courts hand down more than 50,000 Unpaid Work
requirements to punish offenders for crimes including theft,
criminal damage and alcohol-related incidents.
The Community Payback website also will be relaunched early next
year, making it far easier for members of the public to report
anti-social behaviour and nominate potential projects in their
neighbourhoods.
This will work alongside the government’s new reporting tool that
will allow members of the public can quickly and easily report
incidents of anti-social behaviour when they take place.
The payback pilot and the new reporting tool both form part of
the government’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, published in
March. This sets out how the government plans to crack down on
these offences at a local level and give communities a greater
say in how justice is served.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, KC MP, said:
Anti-social behaviour is a blight on our society and can leave
proud neighbourhoods feeling neglected.
These rapid deployment teams will mean eyesores are dealt with
swiftly to restore community pride and ensure convicts are made
to give back to the communities they have offended against.
The scheme will be piloted in the Probation Service regions of
Greater Manchester, East of England, Wales and the North East,
meaning they will benefit some of the towns known to be worst
affected by anti-social behaviour in the country such as
Middlesbrough and Blaenau Gwent.
Wearing high-visibility jackets emblazoned with ‘Community
Payback’ ensures offenders are seen to pay for their crimes while
carrying out work that benefits the local community.
Last month, a new law also came into effect requiring local
probation services to consult annually with specific community
leaders such as charities, victim organisations and elected
policing bodies on the type of Unpaid Work that would benefit the
region.
We are investing up to £93 million into Community Payback which
will see offenders completing millions of unpaid work each year
to improve the environment and revitalise our towns and cities.
This year marks 50 years since the launch of the first Community
Payback project after the first unpaid work placement was ordered
by a judge at Nottingham Crown Court on 2 January 1973.
Notes to editors
- The public can nominate Community Payback
projects in their local area. This website will be relaunched
early next year, making it easier than ever for the public to
report anti-social behaviour.
