Offenders in Cheshire and Greater Manchester working on Community Payback have put more than £2m back into their community during 2018.

Community Payback is a punishment made by the courts for people who have broken the law and is supervised by the Cheshire & Greater Manchester Community Rehabilitation Company (CGM CRC).

The latest figures released by CGM CRC show that nearly 300,000 hours of unpaid work was completed by people on probation across the region.

CGM CRC ensures offenders successfully comply with their court orders. Magistrates or judges can sentence offenders to carry out anything from 40 to 300 hours of unpaid work as part of their order. Community Payback must include a minimum of a day’s work – lasting at least seven hours – once a week.

Chris Edwards, CGM CRC’s chief executive, said: “Community Payback provides a tough, effective and visible sentence requiring people to undertake challenging work while giving something back to communities where they live.

“It also provides an opportunity for people to turn their experience into a positive one by picking up new skills that can help them towards paid employment and leading more stable, positive and crime-free lives.”

Offenders delivered 292,146 hours in the past 12 months to December 2018. With the national wage standing at £7.83 that equates to £2.28m of work delivered. All projects combine hard work and the chance for the participant to develop skills. It is also a punishment as the individual is giving up their time to carry out the work.

Projects completed include tasks such as: removing graffiti, litter picking, clearing parks and cemeteries, renovating buildings and working in charity shops.

People can also be sentenced to intensive community payback orders, which mean they must complete 28 hours of work every week.

Community sentences can be given for crimes including damaging property, benefit fraud and assault. They are often handed out by judges and magistrates when the offender is appearing at court for the first time or when it is thought such a sentence may be more likely to stop an offender committing crimes than a prison sentence.

To nominate a Community Payback project, please click this link.