PAYBACK TIME

The elected overseer of the police called into a community centre to see work undertaken by groups benefiting from funding from his office. 

Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Mr Rupert Mathews met voluntary groups at Fearon Hall utilising raised beds funded by the office’s community development initiative People Zones and installed by the probation service’s Community Payback. 

Mr Mathews viewed a plaque marking the donations from People Zones on beds put together by people on probation and used by growing groups’ Fearon Flowers and Anand Mangal; women of South Asian heritage who cultivate and cook heritage vegetables. 

He explained why part of his crime and prevention budget is used in these ways.  

“One of the great things that drives down crime, particularly anti – social behaviour  is footfall. If people are walking around, it reduces things like vandalism. Anything that attracts people to an area where people might otherwise not go is making the area safer,” said Mr Mathews.  

He said he has been using a lot of offenders to carry out the work to divert people away from prison. 

 “I’ve been using Community Payback a lot over the last two years, we’re under a lot of pressure and the courts are under a lot of pressure to not send people to prison. Offenders are going to realise the errors of their ways doing work like this, the courts know they’ll be kept busy, doing hard physical work and reduce re – offending,” said Mr Mathews who also likes to grow on his balcony. 

Thomas Brown of the Leicestershire Probation Service talked about the contribution made by offenders who took out and replaced the old, raised beds. 

“They enjoyed it here and any project they can see has an obvious purpose to the community is something they like. They used all reclaimed and upcycled materials to rebuild the new beds,” he said.  

People Zones’ community development officer James O’Connell said there are many pockets of growing groups in the areas where the work is focused, largely the Bell Foundry Estate where he said a lot of people take a lot of pride in identifying space they can make the most of and includes a secret garden. 

“Here’s a flurry of activity including Fearon Flowers who grow and cut flowers for Fearon Hall,” he said. “It’s a great use of green spaces.”