Offenders on Community Payback help to improve the graveyard at St Peter's Church

In the last of our special reports on how Thanet Community Safety Partnership is reducing crime and the fear of crime on the Isle, Martin Jefferies reveals why it isn't only local communities that benefit from a Community Payback clean-up.

Every week, around 1,000 Kent criminals are sentenced not to a brief spell behind bars but to hours of gruelling, physical labour.

In Thanet, these high-visibility Community Payback punishments have removed litter and graffiti from St Peter's Churchyard, dangerous objects from a children's playground in Dane Valley, Margate, and fly-tipped furniture in Newington, Ramsgate.

The innovative scheme has transformed neigbourhoods, offering them a new lease of life.

But for many offenders who find themselves enrolled on the programme, it is a personal transformation that is most remarkable.

Kevin, whose full name we have protected, is typical of the type of people sentenced to a community service stint.

He was convicted of drink driving, banned for two years and ordered to carry out 200 hours work through the Community Payback programme.

He was sent to a local football club to help paint the stadium and prepare the ground for forthcoming home games.

Staff at the club were so impressed with Kevin's work that they offered him a full-time job as a decorator.

"I know what I did was wrong and I regret that," he said. "But community service helped me feel like I had achieved something and helped me learn new skills."

His boss explained that without the support of people like Kevin, the club could have fallen into a state of disrepair.

"We were relegated two years ago and our income dropped so we had even less money for repairs," he said. "We can't afford to do the run-of-the-mill maintenance every year and help like this is really appreciated."

The commitment of another Community Payback offender, Edward, whose name we have disguised, also landed him full-time employment and put him firmly back on track.

After completing 180 hours unpaid work for Barnardo's, during which time he impressed staff with his enthusiasm, he was encouraged to apply for a job at the children's charity.

"I would never have gone to a charity shop if it wasn't for Community Payback," Edward admitted. "I didn't realise what Barnardo's was all about until I was there.

"I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've been given. Without them, I don't know where I'd be today."

Asides from the prospect of future employment, many offenders are offered extra training or further education to prevent them returning to their troublesome pasts.

One offender in Ramsgate is currently applying for the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), which should give him a head start when hunting for work in the building trade.

Rita Hockley, Community Payback operations manager at Kent Probation, said: "Our offenders have the opportunity to gain qualifications and skills which can increase their employability.

"This work not only benefits offenders on community sentences but also the people living in Kent as getting a job is widely acknowledged as being the most important step an unemployed offender can take to reduce future offending."