Shovelling apology by payback lads
Date published: 11 January 2010
PUBLIC service . . . the Community Payback team outside Oldham Police Station
OFFENDERS donned their winter woollies to shovel piles of snow and ice outside Oldham Police Station.
The group were part of a Community Payback scheme which sees those convicted of fairly minor crimes carry out unpaid work.
Oldham’s Community Payback Unit delivers around 4,000 hours of work each month with work ranging from painting to litter-picking and gardening to clearing away fly-tipped waste.
Members of the public can suggest work to be carried out by those sentenced in a bid to give citizens confidence in the syste and make them feel more involved.
Criteria for work carried out states that it must benefit the community, must not take paid work away from others and must not make a profit for anyone.
Nationally, in 2008/09, 62,000 offenders completed Community Payback undertaking more than eight million hours of work which, if paid at minimum wage, would be valued at £45 million.
Courts have the power to sentence offenders of certain crimes to do between 40 and 600 hours of unpaid work. Types of eligible crimes include driving while disqualified, shoplifting, fraud and minor drug offences.
