Falkirk crime: Work carried out across district by people on community payback orders

This was only one element of the work carried out by those who appear in court and are given a community-based sentence.

The unpaid work teams completing community payback orders in Falkirk also helped with the installation of the war memorial at Bainsford. They salvaged around 300 metres of wrought iron fencing from a housing site in Falkirk that was due for demolition back in 2020 and stored it until the memorial was being built earlier this year.

The team then re-erected it around the memorial back in July and also landscaped the site – all in time for Remembrance Sunday 2022.

The unpaid work teams continue to supply local food banks every week and also continue to deliver food parcels for Falkirk food bank. In the run up to Christmas there were around 70 deliveries a week.

They have also been supporting the charity Change, Grow, Live which helps people in Falkirk with problematic drug or alcohol use – by starting to make lock boxes for prescribed methadone for safe storage.

End of year figures also revealed the unpaid work teams also cleared more than 30 fly tipping sites throughout the Falkirk Council area.

They helped 11 different community groups with tasks such as rotavating and weeding flower beds which had been taken over from the council, building poly tunnels for groups growing food for local food banks.

Teams also came to the aid of 22 families who could not afford removal companies move from temporary accommodation to their permanent tenancies.

A spokesperson for Falkirk’s unpaid work justice services, said: “Our unpaid work supervisors and officers have worked very hard this year despite numerous challenges, to deliver a high-quality community payback service and a range of projects to the public, the courts and local communities.

“Individuals undertaking unpaid work have been able to give something back to their communities by carrying out worthwhile pieces of work, whilst at the same time learning new skills, gaining confidence and giving a positive representation of our service.”