Offenders will be asked to clean up fly-tipping, vandalism and litter from across the North East as part of a new crackdown on anti-social behaviour.
The teams, made up of offenders serving community payback sentences and kitted out in hi-vis jackets, will be sent to communities across the region to carry out clean-ups. They will be called upon within 48 hours of cases being reported to the Probation Service.
The pilot scheme will see offenders carry out up to 20,000 hours of hard graft across four regions in just six months, ensuring they are paying for their crimes while giving back to the communities they have harmed. Each year, courts hand down more than 50,000 unpaid work requirements to punish offenders for crimes including theft, criminal damage and alcohol-related incidents.
