Thousands of offenders clear tonnes of rubbish to Keep Britain Tidy

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Thousands of offenders will be required to give back to the communities they have harmed in a concerted week-long, nationwide clean-up.

  • offenders in high-viz jackets-will spend more than 10,000 hours in nationwide clean-ups to support Keep Britain Tidy’s annual “The Great British Spring Clean”
  • thousands on Community Payback will work on over 300 clear-up projects over the next week
  • initiative will improve local communities and show justice being done

Offenders on Community Payback will put in more than 10,000 hours of hard graft clearing tonnes of litter from roadsides, scrubbing graffiti-ridden subways and maintaining beauty spots in support of Keep Britain Tidy’s annual campaign, “The Great British Spring Clean”.

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. 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.

Policing and Crime Minister, Kit Malthouse, visited St Boniface Church, Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, yesterday (25 March 2022) to see offenders revitalising the church - painting and planting trees - for the benefit of the community.

Policing and Crime Minister, Kit Malthouse said:

To criminals, there are few stronger deterrents than a community that is able to take pride in their area. Safe neighbourhoods attract jobs and investment and let people thrive, free from crime.Getting offenders to pay for their crimes in a way that visibly benefits the community they have harmed is critical to making them think twice about tormenting their fellow citizens.Offenders are involved in community projects around the country every day, and next week, to support this year’s Great British Spring Clean, we are mobilising more than a thousand to give criminals a chance to clean up their act, payback our communities and show that justice is being done.

Other projects in the week-long clean-up include litter-picks on some of Wales’ most beautiful blue flag beaches in Anglesey and Dyfed Powys alongside tackling fly-tipped eyesores in Newham, London.

Over the next 3 years, the Government is investing an extra £93 million into Community Payback which will see offenders completing eight million hours of unpaid work a year to improve the environment and revitalise our towns and cities.

This is just one small part of this government’s wider work to restore confidence in the justice system. We are tackling crime by introducing new sentencing laws – ensuring the most serious and violent offenders spend longer behind bars, creating 20,000 additional prison places, and recruiting an extra 20,000 police officers to keep the public safe.

We have also invested £183 million to expand electronic monitoring over the next three years to improve public safety – doubling the number of people on electronic tags from around 13,500 to approximately 25,000 by 2025.

Notes to editors:

  • The Keep Britain Tidy’s “Great British Spring Clean” annual campaign encourages the public and community groups to volunteer in litter picks across the country.
  • Members of the public can nominate a Community Payback project to suggest what unpaid work is carried out by offenders in their local area.
  • Community Payback involves offenders undertaking an unpaid work and delivering tangible benefits to the communities that need it most.
  • Since 2019, the government has invested over £300 million into the Probation Service to help protect the public from harm, rehabilitate offenders and strengthen community sentences. This includes delivering new Unpaid Work projects and recruiting thousands of new Probation Officers.
  • Applications are now open for over 500 new vacancies in Community Payback roles. The work plays a crucial role in delivering this punishment, improving local communities and steering offenders away from crime.