Offenders on probation clean up Limavady graffiti

OFFENDERS carrying out Community Service in Limavady have been working to make improvements including carrying out joinery work, internal painting and cleaning graffiti from substations and walls.

The Probation Board for Northern Ireland has been engaged with Limavady Borough Community Safety Partnership and other community groups in a project to clean up and remove graffiti from two estates in Limavady town.

Offenders have been supervised by Probation Board staff while they carry out this work.

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The Probation Board staff member who worked on the project, Liam Ferguson said: "Each year offenders throughout Northern Ireland deliver an average of 100,000 hours of unpaid work to the community in Northern Ireland through Community Service sentences.

"Community Service is an extremely effective tool in preventing people going on to re-offend.

"Three out of four people who complete community service are not reconvicted in two years.

"Here in Limavady we have been working for a number of weeks to carry out some work in the Keady Way Estate and The Glens Estate. Graffiti has been cleaned off walls, joinery work has been undertaken and the response from local people has been very positive. The Community Service supervisors have worked hard to ensure the success of the project.

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"Community Service is a visible and practical method of ensuring offenders pay something back to the community and we have been delighted to help out the local community in Limavady.

Commenting on the scheme, Bridget McCaughan, Council's Community Safety Manager, said: "This initiative, delivered in partnership with PBNI's Community Services Team across two estates in Limavady town aims to deliver environmental improvements to benefit residents and hopefully foster increased pride in the area."

Gavin Duffy, Chair of Limavady Borough Community Safety Partnership

added:

"It is hoped that engagement of the local community from the outset will ensure that the scheme is a longer term success."

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