Payback Offenders Help Safer Neighbourhood Project
02 Mar 2010
Community Payback offenders from Lancashire Probation Trust have been drafted in to help with Burnley Community Safety Partnership's Safer Neighbourhood project.
The Safer Neighbourhood initiative is seeing teams of volunteers visiting homes and carrying out safety questionnaires with home owners and tenants to assess home security and then offering, where necessary, new locks for doors and windows. The Lancashire Fire and Rescue volunteers are also delivering special information packs providing a wealth of information about home security and staying safe.
It is the information packs which Lancashire Probation Trust is helping out with. As part of their community orders, the Community Payback offenders have been putting the packs together ready for delivery to homes in Burnley.
Community Payback is a punishment handed out by the courts and is work carried out by offenders in the community. They have to wear orange high-visibility jackets, marked Community Payback, so that people can see that they're paying back the community for their crimes.
Lorraine Slater, Practice Manager, Lancashire Probation Trust, said: "We always look for work that will be of direct benefit to the community and what better way for offenders to be helping out than on a crime prevention project!
"This project is just one of many undertaken by offenders working as part of their court punishment on Community Payback. Last year, a total of over 87,000 hours were worked unpaid across East Lancashire by offenders for the benefit of local people and neighbourhoods.
"Anyone can suggest work projects for offenders to do - apply online at www.lancashireprobation.co.uk . All work schemes must be for public or charity/ non-profit community benefit."
Charlie Briggs, Executive Member for Community Safety, said: "The Safer Neighbourhood project is all about making people feel safer in their own homes. The information packs being delivered are just one example of how Burnley Community Safety Partnership is helping to bring crime down in the town.
"Using the Community Payback offenders to help with this burglary initiative is an excellent idea. Let's hope they all learn something about the devastating effect burglary can have on people and that they will amend their offending behaviour in the future."
If you wish to receive one of the Safer Neighbourhood information packs then please contact Burnley Community Safety Partnership on 01282 425011 or by emailing streetscene@burnley.gov.uk
Any suspicious activity should be reported immediately either to the police on 0845 1 25 35 45 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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