Offenders to remove graffiti and pick up litter ahead of King's Coronation as 'payback' for crimes

People on probation will remove graffiti, pick up litter and decorate community centres ahead of the crowning in May.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, says the scheme is “ideally placed” to support preparations and post-celebratory clean-ups, and is encouraging nominations.

He added: “Community Payback projects are hard work, but the results can be very rewarding. They can help offenders regain a sense of worth and see that there is value and satisfaction in doing a job well – all of which helps in their rehabilitation. This is coupled with improvements to public spaces, which we all benefit from. I encourage anyone who recognises a suitable project to nominate it to the Probation Service.”

The work must be of benefit to the local community, must not take paid work away from others and must not make a profit for anyone, he added. Community Payback is run by the Probation Service for people sentenced to between 40 to 300 hours of community service. Offenders can also undertake up to 30 per cent of their sentence in educational support and training.

Dr Billings added: “I’ve seen first-hand the impact Community Payback has on both those completing the work and the local areas they improve. The King’s Coronation will provide the opportunity for residents to come together and celebrate in their local communities and highlight areas that could benefit from a tidy up.”

Nominate a Community Payback project for your local area here: https://www.gov.uk/nominate-community-payback-project