Press Release
CENTRE TEAM LEADS CANAL CLEAN UP OPERATION
6th June 2006
Members of the Community Justice Centre team in North Liverpool are working with young offenders serving community orders on a project to clean up the canal in Vauxhall.
The week-long programme, which started on World Environment Day (Monday 5th June), is part of a new community reparation initiative developed by the centre. It aims to make sure offenders sentenced to unpaid work as part of a community order, carry out tasks which benefit local people and their neighbourhoods.
The young offenders involved in the project have been sentenced to the orders they are serving by Judge David Fletcher at the Community Justice Centre, which is based on Boundary Street, Kirkdale.
The canal clean-up squad includes members of the Youth Offending Team, Merseyside Police officers and the centre's Community Support Officers. Together they are dredging the canal to remove bulky items from the waterway, such as shopping trolleys and bikes.
Police cadets will also join the team to support the project, which is running alongside a wider community reparation initiative being carried out in the area by Merseyside Probation Service. This involves adult offenders clearing eyesores by removing rubbish, clearing overgrown and neglected land, and painting railings where needed.
Tony Forshaw, restorative justice officer for the Community Justice Centre, North Liverpool, said: This particular project tackles the environmental problems associated with the canal and will improve the area for local people.
Our community reparation programme, where young offenders carry out their community in the area they committed the crime, is aimed not only at making sure offenders are punished, but that they understand the impact they have on local people.
By taking responsibility for their actions, they start to repay the community they have affected. Our multi-agency team working on this project acts as a support mechanism, building bridges with the community and helping to prevent re-offending.
The Community Justice Centre is currently working with local people to identify areas within Anfield, County, Everton and Kirkdale, which could benefit from community reparation work.
Notes to Editors
The Community Justice Centre, North Liverpool, is a pioneering initiative aimed at bringing justice closer to the community. It is the first of its kind in England and Wales.
The centre, based on Boundary Street, Kirkdale, works with local residents to tackle crimes and anti-social behaviour, which affects the quality of life of residents in the local authority wards of Anfield, County, Everton and Kirkdale. It provides access to a range of support services for those living and working in the area as well as enabling residents to identify their priorities for the work of the centre and the services it provides.
World Environment Day was established by the United Nations in 1972. The day is one of the main vehicles used by the United Nations to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment. The aim of the day is to give people the opportunity to work together, in partnership, for the benefit of the environment.