PROBATION managers have praised rules making offenders more obvious when they are doing unpaid work in public.

It is a year since offenders were forced to wear high-visibility jackets when doing the work as part of their sentences.

Carrying the “Community Payback” words and logo, the bright orange jackets inform passers-by that those wearing them are paying back the community.

The work ranges from making communal areas safer by cutting back undergrowth, to redecorating schools, churches, youth clubs and community halls. It is arranged and supervised by the National Probation Service in Hampshire.

Soon after introducing the jackets, the Government’s crime and justice adviser, Louise Casey, said of Community Payback: “It sends a simple message to offenders. You will be caught, you will be punished and when appropriate you will find yourself working for the community to repair the damage you have inflicted.”

Chief probation officer for the Hampshire area, Barrie Crook, said 280,000 hours have been worked across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight since the jackets were introduced. He said the offenders are most visible working in teams, but individual placements also enable charities to make good use of any special skills an offender may have.

“It is a fitting punishment for many crimes. It also introduces the work ethic to those who have little or no work experience and, of course, community organisations benefit because they get free labour for tasks that otherwise wouldn’t get done,” he said.

“Over a year, the majority of the 3,000 offenders made subject to Community Payback orders accept wearing the jackets. We actually introduced them more than a year ago for safety reasons and we have found that if the work is done swiftly, competently and cheerfully, the offenders get the public’s support, not more criticism.

“I think most people now want to see evidence of fair punishment and worthwhile rehabilitation. If the offender is prepared to cooperate, Community Payback goes a long way towards achieving both these requirements.”

Hampshire Probation has just achieved trust status, which will provide more scope to expand and improve services such as Community Payback. The trust becomes operational from April 2010. It follows confirmation that the Hampshire area, which includes the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, is one of the best in the UK for protecting the public. Its high levels of performance earned it a “Green Star”, the premier rating awarded by the National Offender Management Service.