Southampton agencies launch joint community clean-up project in St. Mary's

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary have partnered with the Probation Service and Southampton City Council to launch an initiative focused on reducing anti-social behaviour and criminal activity in the St. Mary's area of Southampton. 

This will see a dedicated Community Payback team working to sweep away debris, clear footpaths, tidy verges, paint fences and remove graffiti among other tasks to help rejuvenate the areas of St. Mary’s that need improvement.
  

The initiative, which launched on Friday (17 January), is part of the ongoing work being carried out by officers from the Bargate neighbourhood policing team, the Violent Crime Taskforce Unit and partnership agencies. This work, which has been developed over the past year, aims to tackle criminality in the St. Mary’s area through a variety of local interventions.

Nationally, the Community Payback system offers low-risk offenders the opportunity to ‘pay back’ the community for their crimes as part of a court-imposed sentence of between 40-300 hours of unpaid work depending on the seriousness of their offence.  Delivered and fulfilled by the Probation Service, this initiative tangibly improves local areas that have been harmed by crime and also allows the public to see that justice is being served. 

Police Constable Cat Jackson, of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Violent Crime Taskforce, said: “We looked at our hotspot of St. Marys and thought about how we could make the area feel safer and more appealing for its residents and the wider public in additional ways, not just through police presence.

“This project is truly a team effort.  With support from Southampton City Council's community safety team, local housing officers, probation services and of course or own fantastic neighbourhood policing teams, the relationships we have been building in this area are critical. 

“The benefits of launching something like this go far beyond that of improving the look of a specific area of the city. Whilst Community Payback is an alternative to prison, it is also rehabilitative and can teach an individual new skills and help them get into a routine again, perhaps if they’ve been out of work for some time.”

Southampton Central Inspector Tim Williams said: “Positive intervention activities like this are just one of the ways that police are working with partners to drive down crime across the city and to make an instant and visible difference to local communities like St. Mary's.


"It is anticipated that similar projects will be utilised across the city of Southampton and rolled out on a zone-by-zone basis, to bring tangible and visible benefits to local areas that have been harmed by crime, while showing our communities that by bringing together public services alongside the support of local businesses, a significant impact can be achieved."

Sharon Annell, Community Payback placement co-ordinator, said: “Community Payback is a type of sentencing given to those who have committed low to medium-risk offences. It’s easy to dismiss it as the ‘alternative’ to prison, but in reality, it’s a way for those who have done wrong to give back to the community. 

“At the core of Community Payback is rehabilitation. Those on Probation learn and utilise important life and work-related skills, from first aid and handling of power tools to general health and safety. The extent to which those on Community Payback sentences help the community cannot be understated – projects include maintaining school grounds, clearing public pathways, painting playgrounds, ground clearance, trimming back weeds, planting flowers, contributing to foodbanks, helping communities win ‘Village of the Year’ and even putting up Christmas trees to raise some festive cheer! 

“People on Probation work all year round, braving hot and frosty weather alike, learning valuable life skills and keeping public places clean and respectable. Under close supervision, thousands of hours are spent each year rehabilitating those so often condemned or written off – and the praise our people on probation receive from the public is immense. During 2024 over 278,000 hours of Community Payback were completed across the country.  It cannot be overstated the amount of positive feedback we receive on a weekly basis, and that’s what Community Payback is about. Rehabilitation for those who need it and giving back to the places we call home.”

Councillor Christie Lambert, Cabinet Member for Communities and Safer City at Southampton City Council, said: “I’m thrilled to see the significant impact our partnership is making in Southampton through the new Community Payback team. This dual-pronged approach will not only target and clean up areas in need, but it will also give low-risk offenders an opportunity to pay back their debt to society through the means of community service, further demonstrating our unwavering commitment to combatting all forms of anti-social behaviour.

“Cleaning up our streets is an important issue for people living and working in the city. This collaborative effort is another powerful step towards creating a safer city for everyone, proving that together we can make a real difference in our community.”