10:10am Sunday 21st March 2010
By Robert Fisk
AN ENVIRONMENTAL twist on punishments for offenders has been unveiled by Bromley Council.
Tasks undertaken by criminals doing community service in Bromley include litter picking, graffiti clearance, clearing debris and cutting back foliage in parks.
Under new plans for the Community Payback scheme, offenders will also be tasked with sorting mixed waste to ensure any recyclable content is separated and recycled.
The plan was devised by the council portfolio holders for the environment and for public protection to punish offenders while increasing recycling levels in the borough.
Justice being done
Public protection portfolio holder Councillor Colin Bloom said: “Community payback ensures that criminals pay for what they have done.
“Getting offenders to do unpaid work puts something back into the community that they have harmed and, hopefully, makes more of an impact in showing them the error of their ways.
“Our new initiative punishes offenders while saving residents’ money too.
“In my view that’s justice.”
Portfolio holder for the environment Councillor Colin Smith said: “We already recycle more than other London boroughs, thanks to the support and participation of our community-minded residents.
“I think they will welcome the added contribution this scheme delivers in helping us to meet Bromley’s ambitious targets whist providing a suitable punishment and deterrent to those committing less serious crimes.”
The Community Payback scheme, which is run by Probation in partnership with the council and the police, has already been responsible for the clearing of 8,000 sq metres of graffiti and saved Bromley residents some £80,000 in labour costs last year.
A London Probation Service spokesman said: “By having offenders in the community visibly doing supervised unpaid work, we hope to build confidence that justice is being done.
“We are pleased that local councillors such as Councillor Bloom and Councillor Smith are engaging with the process and have come up with this innovative way of further improving the Community Payback scheme.”
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