Nottinghamshire rehabilitation community work scheme hits milestone

Immediate Justice is a collaboration between the force’s Prevention Hub and the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office.

It ensures that individuals who commit anti-social behaviour and low-level offenses are required to participate in community activities such as cleaning up local streets or public spaces, working in a soup kitchen, picking up litter, removing graffiti, and engaging in other positive community initiatives within days of their offense.

The scheme has been running for six months since its launch in January and has seen almost 200 referrals from more than 30 departments across the force, covering 31 different types of offenses.

Nottinghamshire Police and their partners, including local authorities, Red Snapper Managed Services, and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire, are continuing to work collaboratively with a united approach to deliver the scheme.

Offenders must complete seven hours of reparative community work in addition to any existing learning and rehabilitative conditions when their offense is suitable for an out-of-court resolution.

These reparative activities have taken place across Nottinghamshire, covering public spaces, parks, alleyways, and community centres, offering a wide range of options.

Immediate Justice is available to first-time or low-level offenders and provides them an alternative to attending court or paying fines.

Instead, they can complete unpaid work to repair the harm they have caused to communities.

This serves as a visible demonstration to communities that anti-social behaviour and low-level offending are taken seriously and acted upon urgently, serving as a deterrent to others.

However, repeat offenders will be prosecuted through the criminal justice system.

To ensure quick action is taken in response to instances of anti-social behaviour, Immediate Justice placements should be completed within 48 hours of a referral to the scheme, which is set to operate until March 2025.

This swift process allows victims to move on with their lives, as it avoids the need to attend court and improves victim outcomes.

Offenders referred to the scheme are supervised by criminal justice intervention service supervisors as they carry out work in neighbourhoods across the city and county six days a week.

The Prevention Hub is a collaboration between multiple force departments responsible for developing and delivering strategies to prevent crime and disorder throughout the city and county.

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden said: “Improving neighbourhood policing and providing the teams on the streets with the tools they need is one of my key priorities, so seeing referral numbers for Immediate Justice increasing since its launch is incredibly pleasing.

“The initiative provides a unique way of dealing with low-level offenders and making sure they can reflect on their actions while being able to give back to the community within days of their offence.

“We want to show communities in a very visible way that anti-social behaviour is being treated seriously and with urgency, whilst also acting as a deterrent to others.”