Greater Manchester Probation Trust

Justice Seen, Justice Done – Results Revealed

HUNDREDS of Salford residents have had their say on which Community Payback schemes offenders should complete across the city.

Salford is one of 54 Neighbourhood Crime and Justice Pioneer Areas to have taken part in a nationwide scheme called: Justice Seen, Justice Done. The project was launched by Justice Secretary Jack Straw and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, and is backed by Salford City Council and the Greater Manchester Probation Trust (GMPT).

The winning project is St Clements Church, Ordsall. A total of 222 people voted for offenders, supervised by GMPT, to give the church grounds a thorough clean up, including cutting back overhanging trees, pruning bushes, digging flower beds and clearing rubbish.

Offenders started the work straightaway and this project has now been completed.

In fact,  four out of the five projects have been completed. The remaining project to be done is the Pendleton subway, which will be carried out once a number of logistical issues have been solved.

Carol Johnson, the city’s Community Payback Manager, said: “It is excellent that residents have taken the time to vote on which projects they want offenders to complete in the area.

“The community is taking an active role in the criminal justice system. Seeing offenders making retribution to the community against which they have offended will help improve people’s understanding of Community Payback.

“These high visibility projects are just a fraction of the work carried out by Community Payback teams across Salford.”

In each pioneer area, Community Payback units will spend 3,000 hours on a range of projects chosen by the public. It is the first time the public has been encouraged to vote on schemes.

Councillor Dave Lancaster said: “Salford people care about having clean, safe environments. We are pleased that so many members of the public took the time to vote for the payback project of their choice.

“We are helping people in the city to have their say on how offenders pay back the community.”

People can go to www.gm-probation.org and nominate the projects they care about for offenders to tackle.

Every year over 55,000 criminals receive Community Payback nationally,  carrying out over six million hours of free work on behalf of their communities to payback for their crimes. However, more often than not the public do not know about it or know that they can have a say on what offenders do.


The five schemes are:

Merlin Road Wood, Irlam. Cleaning large amounts of litter dumped in this woodland area, repairing or removing broken fences and cutting back overgrown trees.

Linear Loopway, Little Hulton. This public footpath is littered with a huge amount of rubbish and flooded in areas through poor drainage. Offenders will face tough work clearing litter, removing water and graffiti.

The Dell, at Moorside. Offenders will clear up litter and cut back overgrown bushes, as well as repair fences and remove graffiti.

St Clements Church, Ordsall. The church grounds need a thorough clean up, including cutting back overhanging trees, pruning bushes, digging flower beds and clearing rubbish.

Pendleton Roundabout Subway, Pendleton. Offenders will remove litter and graffiti throughout the subway and cut back the bushes along the public footpath to make residents using the subway feel safer.

Vote Results

St Clements                    222
Merlin Road Wood         130
Linear Loopway              90
Pendleton Roundabout   73
The Dell                            54