2,000 offenders tackle Big Freeze

Published on Saturday 6 March 2010 18:12

IT IS genuine cold comfort for communities. Officials have revealed that more than 2,000 offenders were put to work shovelling snow during the Big Freeze.

The convicted criminals were out on the streets clearing pavements, car parks, school playgrounds and church pathways during December, January and February.

The figures have been compiled by the Association of Social Work Directors in Scotland who were stung by parliamentary criticism that offenders were not being put to work to help reduce the impact of Scotland's worst winter for half a century.

Their survey looked at what community service order offenders were doing between 5 January, when Tory whip David McLetchie raised the issue in parliament, and 12 January.

It found that 2,106 of the 3,444 people on such sentences were working on snow removal. Between them they chalked up nearly 15,500 hours of shovelling over the seven days.

Offenders helped horse owners to get to their animals in Argyll, swept pathways at old people's homes in Aberdeen, dug minibuses out of snowdrifts in West Lothian, gritted paths at health centres and sheltered housing in Edinburgh and did the same for hospitals and churches in Glasgow.

In South Lanarkshire, they also delivered logs and kindling to residents who couldn't get their own fuel.

More often than not, those on community service orders were left doing work that council workers couldn't get to as they focused on keeping the roads clear.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "These people are low-level offenders who we are sending out to repay their dues to the community. They've done the community wrong and we're getting them out to undertake tough manual labour to pay back those they have harmed. We saw the benefits of this during the terrible winter weather conditions with thousands being sent out across the country to clear paths and local streets of snow and ice to make them safer for the elderly and infirm, as well as the rest of us who were trying to get about our business."

Offenders are now mostly back on their usual duties, such as cleaning graffiti or collecting litter.

But this winter's snow-clearing is part of a wider move for community payback work to be performed where the public can see it. In Glasgow offenders are clearing up urban wastelands.

McLetchie said he was pleased to see his remarks had raised the profile of such work – and helped boost public confidence in the penalties. "People think that community service is not an effective sanction and in the famous words of Mr MacAskill – when referring to jail – is a 'bit of a skoosh'."