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Community Payback Pilot Scheme Rejuvenates Watford Housing EstatePublished 09/01/2017
A Community Payback Pilot project which was commissioned by the Police and Crime Commissioner in partnership with BeNCH CRC (the Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Community Rehabilitation Company) has successfully been completed at the residential housing area of Boundary Way in Watford.
Following a partner consultation earlier this year, the Police and Crime Commissioner asked the ten District and Borough Community Safety Managers (CSMs) of Hertfordshire to have their say in the areas they feel would benefit for unpaid work to be undertaken by offenders.
Three feasible projects from across Hertfordshire were selected following a short-listing process. Boundary Way was put forward by the Watford Community Housing Trust to have the estate’s railings revamped and painted black. The residential area is currently undergoing work to rejuvenate housing and attract new residents.
Community Payback is one of the priorities outlined in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s draft plan, “Community Safety and Criminal Justice Plan: Everybody’s Business,” to put in place a system for offenders of low-level crimes to pay back in kind – where appropriate using their skills to provide meaningful payback.
The project ran for two weeks and residents were notified and assured that the service users had been rigorously assessed for suitability and supervised at all times.
David Lloyd, Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Community Payback has real value: not only does the public benefit from the unpaid work undertaken by offenders for the crimes they have committed, but it has a positive impact on offenders, often instilling a sense of structure and value that is often missing in their lives.”
Ali Hancock, Director, BeNCH Community Rehabilitation Company said: “Our Community Payback scheme is all about making amends. It allows those who have offended to ‘pay back’ their local communities by being involved in projects just like this one. It has been great to see the improvements to the Boundary Way estate take shape and those working on the groups have been able to take real pride in their work.”
Dave Fayer, Chairman of the Boundary Way Community Group said: “The Boundary Way residents committee was really pleased that we were selected for improvement works on the railings around our estate. Many areas on the estate have fallen into poor condition over the last few years and any work to improve the visual feel of the estate is welcome."
For more information on how to put forward an area for the Community Payback Scheme - details are available on the BeNCH CRC website:
http://benchcrc.org.uk/what-we-do/community-payback/
Following a partner consultation earlier this year, the Police and Crime Commissioner asked the ten District and Borough Community Safety Managers (CSMs) of Hertfordshire to have their say in the areas they feel would benefit for unpaid work to be undertaken by offenders.
Three feasible projects from across Hertfordshire were selected following a short-listing process. Boundary Way was put forward by the Watford Community Housing Trust to have the estate’s railings revamped and painted black. The residential area is currently undergoing work to rejuvenate housing and attract new residents.
Community Payback is one of the priorities outlined in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s draft plan, “Community Safety and Criminal Justice Plan: Everybody’s Business,” to put in place a system for offenders of low-level crimes to pay back in kind – where appropriate using their skills to provide meaningful payback.
The project ran for two weeks and residents were notified and assured that the service users had been rigorously assessed for suitability and supervised at all times.
David Lloyd, Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Community Payback has real value: not only does the public benefit from the unpaid work undertaken by offenders for the crimes they have committed, but it has a positive impact on offenders, often instilling a sense of structure and value that is often missing in their lives.”
Ali Hancock, Director, BeNCH Community Rehabilitation Company said: “Our Community Payback scheme is all about making amends. It allows those who have offended to ‘pay back’ their local communities by being involved in projects just like this one. It has been great to see the improvements to the Boundary Way estate take shape and those working on the groups have been able to take real pride in their work.”
Dave Fayer, Chairman of the Boundary Way Community Group said: “The Boundary Way residents committee was really pleased that we were selected for improvement works on the railings around our estate. Many areas on the estate have fallen into poor condition over the last few years and any work to improve the visual feel of the estate is welcome."
For more information on how to put forward an area for the Community Payback Scheme - details are available on the BeNCH CRC website:
http://benchcrc.org.uk/what-we-do/community-payback/
