Public have had their say and criminals must pay back in Fawdon Park 18 June 2009
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Newcastle residents voted in their hundreds for Fawdon Park to be the site where offenders on Community Payback are sent to clean up as part of the Justice Seen Justice Done campaign held in April.
The campaign, which was run by community safety partnership Safe Newcastle and Northumbria Probation, saw around 400 residents voting by email, phone and online to have their say on which of five parks in the city criminals would be sent to ‘pay back’ to the community.
The offenders have been working under probation supervision in the park since May and so far have:
- Hacked back dense undergrowth
- Litter picked and disposed of discarded bottles and cans
- Edged all of the pathways
- Weeded large areas
- Primed, sanded and painted play equipment
- Painted out graffiti on the park’s perimeter fencing
Cllr Anita Lower, Chair of Safe Newcastle said: “It was great to see so many residents get behind this campaign and have their say on how justice is served in their communities. We picked five parks across the city for residents to vote for as they are tough and demanding jobs.”
“Fawdon Park was a run-down park, which attracted anti-social behaviour issues such as youths congregating to drink alcohol. We hope that as the park is cleaned up, residents of Fawdon will have a safe, clean and pleasant park to enjoy again.”
One of the supporters of the campaign was Revd Sue McCormack of St Mary's Vicarage in Fawdon. She said: "It's great that there was a public vote for a Community Payback clean up project. The offenders who have worked under probation supervision at St Mary's Church have done a great job, and I mentioned this campaign to our parishioners, so they could join in the voting. There aren't that many open spaces in Fawdon, so it'll be good to have a well cared for open space for everyone to enjoy."
Other supporters included Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr David Faulkner, whose ward Fawdon Park is in. Cllr Faulkner said: "It's very good news that Fawdon Park has won the vote for improvements through the Community Payback initiative. The city has seen many millions of pounds invested in its city centre parks and in larger parks in recent years, with more to come, but smaller, local parks are essential too. A thriving community needs spaces that are safe and green for all its members to use and enjoy."
Community Payback gives offenders a chance to payback to their local communities by doing work which helps to improve and enhance the environment. It does not replace paid employment but complements work carried out by Newcastle City Council. The work is unpaid and forms part of their Community Order supervised by Northumbria Probation Area.
Martyn Strike, Head of Interventions, Northumbria Probation Area, said: "I am delighted for Fawdon Park to win the public's support for Community Payback in Newcastle. One of the key principles of Community Payback, as well as punishing the offender and reducing reoffending, is to ensure the work completed by offenders pays something back to local communities in the places where it is most wanted - so justice is seen to be done. This voting campaign has helped local people to influence where Community Payback work will take place."
‘Justice Seen Justice Done’ is a Home Office campaign that was used to raise awareness of Community Payback as a tough punishment for criminals, following the launch of branded high visibility orange jackets that offenders must now wear. Newcastle was one of 54 areas taking part nationally, with 18,000 people voting for projects in their communities.
The roll out of visible Community Payback across England and Wales built on a recommendation from the Government’s Crime and Justice Adviser Louise Casey’s review, 'Engaging Communities in Fighting Crime', published a year ago today outlining the importance of justice being visible. It seeks to improve the community’s confidence in Community Payback as a punishment so that people will be more likely to come forward to report crime, give evidence in court and support their neighbours to do the same.
Louise Casey said: “The people in Newcastle want to know that criminals in Newcastle are being made to pay back for their crimes. Community Payback schemes make this a reality and, very importantly, they also now give the public a say in what criminals must actually do to serve their punishment and pay back to local communities.
”Hopefully this will give local people confidence that the system is on their side and that punishment can be tough - then they might be more likely to report crimes and help the police bring more offenders to justice. I’m looking forward to seeing the project in Fawdon completed so that it will be of real benefit to the community”
Every year over 55,000 criminals receive Community Payback – carrying out over six million hours of physical work on behalf of their communities to payback for their crimes.
Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw said: “As I have said it is crucial that the public should have a say in the community punishments offenders receive and that they have a right to know what offenders are doing in their neighbourhood to repay for the wrongs committed.
“We are determined to open up the justice system in Newcastle and across England and Wales. Recent steps to do this include the appointment of a dedicated Victims Champion, giving distinctive orange jackets to offenders and now ensuring the public know they have a say in punishing offenders.”
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: ”It is vital that the public see that justice is being done and Community Payback is a crucial part of that. By making it possible for the public to have their say on which projects offenders should carry out in their communities, we are giving the law-abiding majority a voice, which in turn helps build their confidence in the criminal justice system. The key to ongoing success is ensuring that the public continue to be aware of Community Payback and understand how they can get involved in seeing justice being done.”
