Pitsea: Community Payback team revamp underpass

An underpass linking Pitsea town centre and the Basildon Upper Academy has been given a face-lift thanks to a group doing Community Payback - unpaid work a court can give offenders who are convicted of crimes but not sent to prison.

A joint initiative from Essex Police, the Probation Service and Basildon Council saw a team painting, cutting back overgrown bushes, clearing pathways and collecting rubbish.

The initiative came about after Sergeant Liz Reschwamm of our Operation Grip hotspot policing team looked at ways of improving areas using the ‘broken windows’ theory that visible signs of crime and anti-social behaviour lead to more offending.

The retail area in Pitsea and surrounding roads is one of 15 Grip zones in Essex that analysis has shown have a higher probability of a serious violent incident. As a result, uniformed officers conduct short, sharp daily foot patrols and engage with the community.

Sgt Reschwamm said: “The underpass between the school and the town centre was dark, overgrown and looking a bit unloved.

“The Community Payback team worked alongside their supervisors, officers from Basildon Community Policing Team, our Operational Support Group, the Op Grip team, and Basildon Council workers and they’ve made a big difference. 

“This is an area where extensive changes are planned and we want people to use it and feel safe. The pathways have been cleared, the rubbish removed, and the graffiti has been painted over. These improvements have changed how the area looks and feels.”

The Probation Service have run Community Payback schemes for more than 50 years. Pippa Garnett is an operations manager for the scheme in south Essex and said it benefits both the participants and the local community:

“Community Payback is rehabilitative alternative to prison, and we have groups running seven days a week on projects across the East of England.

“If people have been out of work for some time, it teaches them new skills and helps them get into a routine. This builds their self-esteem as they feel appreciated and want to do a good job.

“There’s a real sense of achievement and loyalty and even some of our most high-risk cases get invested and involved.”

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