Warrior Square in Southend got a spring clean thanks to a group doing Community Payback – unpaid work that a court can give offenders who are convicted of crimes but not sent to prison.
Ajoint initiative from Essex Police, the Probation Service, Southend-on-Sea City Council and Southend’s Business Improvement District (BID) saw a team of 13 working in the sunshine to sweep away debris, clear footpaths and the tidy up the verges in the square, as well as repairing and painting planters in an adjacent road.
The initiative came about after Sergeant Liz Reschwamm looked at ways of improving the look and feel of high-harm crime hotspots using the ‘broken windows’ theory that visible signs of crime and anti-social behaviour lead to more offending.
Revamping Southend Hotspots
Sgt Reschwamm said: “We looked at our hotspots in Southend and thought about how we could make the areas safer and more appealing to the public.
“Following our work with the Southend Safe Space on the High Street, we had feedback that people didn’t feel safe in Warrior Square at night, so it was the perfect place to improve. It’s surrounded by houses and we want the public to use it.”
By bringing together public services and local businesses, Sgt Reschwamm is optimistic the initiative will have a significant impact that could be replicated elsewhere.
She said: “We’re getting rid of graffiti, the alleyways have been cleared of rubbish and the council are putting up more signage to say the CCTV is being enhanced.
Community Payback Benefits
“It was a team effort and we also had support from the council’s community safety officers who came out on patrol. Building relationships with partners is making a real difference, and we’re hoping to extend this work across all our hotspots.”
The Probation Service’s Pippa Garnett is an operations manager for Community Payback in south Essex. She said the benefits of the scheme go beyond improving the look of an area: “Community Payback was brought in an alternative to prison. It’s rehabilitative, it teaches people new skills, and even helps them get into a routine if they’ve been out of work for some time.
“The people working feel appreciated and it builds self-esteem. Even some of our most high-risk cases get invested and involved. There’s a real sense of loyalty when they’re supporting a cause, and they want to do a good job.”
Keep up to date with the latest news from Essex Police on facebook.com/EPSouthend and @EPSouthend on Twitter.