OFFENDERS in the Wee County have helped to contribute almost £88,000 to the public purse as payback for their crimes, according to recent figures.

The annual Community Payback Order (CPO) Report 2014/15 for Clackmannanshire shows that 13,530 hours of unpaid work has been completed on individual placements and on local task squads in the county for the benefit of local communities.

Calculating with the £6.50 per hour national minimum wage at the time, people completing CPOs have paid £87,945 back to the county.

Unpaid work activity was carried out for a number of community projects and individual beneficiaries like the Tullibody Community Garden Project, where people on CPOs undertook ground clearance and preparation, removed small trees, shrubbery and turf, installed fencing and helped with the transportation of timber for building raised beds.

Clackmannanshire Council leader Les Sharp told the Advertiser: “The council's unpaid work squads regularly complete a wide range of tasks for the benefit of the community, including environmental and landscaping projects, ground clearance works and improving community facilities.

"This work is of great benefit to the community, and is in line with the community payback concept, where as part of community restorative justice, offenders make reparations for offences committed and contribute positively to help improve local communities.

"Information on completed projects is shared on the council's Facebook page, and community groups or charities can apply for help with their projects. Details are on the unpaid work page on ClacksWeb, or call 01259 452200."

Other work included chewing gum removal in Alloa as well as picnic bench installation and the removal of shrubbery around the town.

Task squads also helped to set up for the Alva Highland Games and helped with landscaping outside The Gate charity at Alloa's Ludgate Church.

Individual placements included working at local charity shops, churches and the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Altogether, 266 CPOs were imposed on 219 individuals in the courts with 186 unpaid work requirements recorded.

The number of unpaid work hours imposed totalled 19,313 and 14,210 of these were completed within the 2014/15 financial year, it is understood the remaining 5103 is overlapping into this year and the service also has to deal with some non-compliance by offenders.

Out of the 14,210 hours, 680 hours of unpaid work requirements were classed as “other activity”, which provides the opportunity for an individual to undertake activities designed to address deficits in their lifestyle such as training or attending support groups.

For instance, several women subject to CPOs attended Clackmannanshire CJ Service's weekly Women's Drop In.

Here, females received holistic support, improved their self esteem, confidence as well as health and wellbeing in order to make positive lifestyle changes.