A DARK and unloved underpass linking a school to a town centre has been given a face-lift thanks to offenders handed unpaid work.

The area which connects Pitsea town centre to Basildon Upper Academy was spruced up by a "community payback" team - who are offenders given unpaid work by a court after being convicted of crimes but not sent to prison.

This initiative came after Sergeant Liz Reschwamm looked at ways of improving areas using the "broken windows" theory that visible signs of crime and anti-social behaviour lead to more offending.

Helping out - Essex Police officers lending a hand Helping out - Essex Police officers lend a hand (Image: Essex Police) The retail area, and surrounding roads, is one of Essex Police's 15 Operation Grip zones in the county, which the force's analysis has shown have a higher probability of a serious violent incident.

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 operation 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.”

At work - Overgrown hedges being cut backAt work - Overgrown hedges being cut back (Image: Essex Police) The Probation Service has 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,” she explained.

“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.”