News

Criminals 'must wear bibs'

Community payback workers
CRIMINALS in Manchester on a high profile community service scheme are no longer being allowed to work 'incognito'.

The M.E.N. revealed last week that a team of offenders - who had been sent to clean up Piccadilly Gardens as part of a new Home Office scheme - failed to wear bright orange vests emblazoned with 'Community Payback' as they were required to do.

Instead they wore unmarked yellow bibs prompting criticism from the government's crime adviser, Louise Casey, who devised the scheme.

She told the M.E.N: "There is no point doing it if you are not going to do it properly.

"It's straightforward - don't break the law, don't end up in an orange jacket cleaning up Piccadilly Gardens."

But when the team of 12 'team members' and two supervisors returned to Piccadilly Gardens yesterday each criminal was wearing a community payback vest.

They spent the day cleaning behind junction boxes and street furniture as well as removing fly posters and graffiti.

Coun Paul Andrews, Manchester council's executive member for neighbourhood services, said: "This is the fifth weekend the scheme has operated and we've had some excellent feedback from residents, businesses and visitors.

"It is normal practice for those serving community sentences to wear high visibility community payback vests and we fully support the idea that justice must be seen to be done."

The idea behind the scheme is that offenders, who are given these types of community sentences, carry out high profile work that benefits local communities.

It is run, in Manchester, by a combination of the probation service, the council, and Cityco, the city centre management company.

Chris Noah, Greater Manchester Probation Area's director of interventions and support services, said: "We are delighted to be a part of this important project which is taking place each week in locations across the city.

"Community payback enables offenders to both improve their locations and to repay society for their crimes and it is crucial that the public is aware of the work that they do.

"High visibility projects such as this are an excellent way of keeping the public informed."

Gordon Reid, chief executive of Cityco added: "The scheme is focusing on some of the most visited parts of the city and areas around Piccadilly Station which often help visitors form their first impression of Manchester."

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Make them wear bibs that say 'I mugged an old lady''. 'I am a paedo'. 'I am a terrorist'. etc, etc.
Then the public WOULD be informed.

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Completely agree The Seeker, maybe not that extreme. But should definately wear bibs saying "Muggar", "GBH", "Thief" etc.

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So my area is not going to get cleaned up then

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This has to be done, stop protecting criminals with the human right act, as they never thought of the victims human rights when they did something to them, they were thinking of themselves and what they can get for the stuff.

We are too molly coddling these days protecting the wrong people, the UK needs to get tougher without all of these human rights act groups and protection of criminal groups, how about protecting the society that does all it can to have a decent safe life.

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Look, I will design these uniforms for free. They will of course be tasteful and well fitting don't want them complaining about their human rights do we? My design would not be out of place on the catwalks of Milan or Paris as they would be a background of white with black arrows on them not real arrows of course ( mores the pity) but you get the idea. Tha accessories, no high fashion is complete without them is a 14 lb sledgehammer and rocks with a chrome ball and chain to complete the ensemble. The supervisors will be armed with pump action 12 g shot guns and mirrored sunglasses just to give the proceedings an edge on the competition.

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Once again on TV yesterday i saw a woman from the civil liberty group (The bleeding heart liberals)was going on about the rights of the offenders having to wear a high viz jacket? Its time we got rid of these bleeding heart liberals,They are the reason we have so many offenders in britain.

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Thaitanium.

Excellent!

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Moaning because of having to wear bibs, which i'm sure is a health and safety matter, I would suggest the old line if you can't do the time don't do the crime, how about instead of this community punishment we send them all to prison and bring them out in bright orange jump suits like in the usa, and chain them all together, doing hard labour, maybe then some of these wasters will find getting a job is better than going out committing crime.

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There were a few doing "community work" in Wythenshawe Park but most spent their time chatting and mucking about. What a great example of justice !

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Thaitanium.

Excellent
Thank you, Thank you I accept this award on behalf of all the people without a criminal record not many of us left and I include people with copies of Sir Cliff's records. Try living here in Thailand, in Bangkok a while ago when we were there (on sufference) I might add, they had some prisoners working on the drains flip flops no steel toecap boots here, a high visiblity jacket but you couldn't see it as they were up to their necks in raw sewage and just to make sure their human rights were safe they had armed guards making sure they were OK. A few years ago near us they built a new prison designed to hold about 3,500 last count about5,000 guests there, 40 to a room one squat toilet and one shower water in a container outside with a tin cup on a piece of string as I have not been in but I would imagine open university courses are a bit thin on the ground. They also have to work to pay for their upkeep the stuff is sold in the prison grounds, oh the ignomy having to wear a bib how long before the ooman rights lawyers find the trough and start suing in the UUSEU court of ooman rights?

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Blah blah blah.
Have none you lot ever broke the law? I bet you have.

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The Seeker, excellent idea! And maybe the persons name. Real naming and shaming!

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""The supervisors will be armed with pump action 12 g shot guns and mirrored sunglasses""

Ha Ha ...brilliant - my sentiments entirely.

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you are all sad people!!! get a life and stop being petty!!! im on that community service and if you think people are peados and terrorists on community serivice your are very stupid

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"They spent the day cleaning behind junction boxes and street furniture as well as removing fly posters and graffiti."

You know, some days I'd love a straightforward job like that, instead of my own with all the stresses, and the hoops I have to jump through. Keep the bibs. There has to be some punishment in it all.

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rogan_josh88
We are not 'sad people'. We are people who would like to see real justice. And by the way these people who are on community service, what exactly have they done. Examples please.

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Hows about cleaning some residential areas, seeing as its us who put up with the crime in the borough. There shouldnt be a shortage of offenders anywhere and could save local councils money and clean up our disgraceful streets!

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roganjosh88 - of course people don't think all those on Community Paybank/Service/whateveritiscalledthisweek are all paedos and terrorists. Of course there are thieves, assailants, fraudsters, burglars and general criminals on it too.
You don't state what crime you did to get on Community Service - but if it involved disadvantaging another it is you who should go and get a life!!

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maybe these jackets will shame them in not reavending, if you cant do the time dont dothe crime as the saying goes.

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Ironic that 'elf and safety' wombles have to wear Hi-Viz vests. I can understand the thinking because most of the stupid rules they come out with are criminal too!

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CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside

What's your point?

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For those in Salford, they should give them nice Pink bibs to match the stupid colour scheme chosen by Salford Council.

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I was dismissed for not wearing a high-visibilty vest. If I was that inconspicuous, how come I was pulled up by 15 people in the space of an hour?

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CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside:

Blah blah blah. Have you ever used the correct form of the past participle of the verb 'brake' ? I bet you never have.

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It's break dimwit!
Brake is something else entirely.
I still maintain that most people have broken the law, don't be so smug and quick to label people scum for life, it stinks of projection for your own corruption.

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