Community Work Supervisor Terry Shea checks
on community work offenders clearning snow and
ice from around Temuka pensioner flats.
Corrections Community Probation Service (CPS) was on hand to help the local community in Timaru and Temuka after heavy snowfall in June.
CPS offered its services to the Timaru District Council and offenders serving community work sentences pitched in to help.
A supervised group of offenders spent a day clearing ice and snow from churches, a croquet club, and the Temuka pensioner flats.
CPS Timaru Service Manager Kevin Foley says that while snow could be cleared from the streets by machinery, there was concern from Civil Defence that elderly people had been snowed into their flats.
“Our people on community work were able to report to CPS and, working under supervision, they braved the cold to clear snow out of driveways and yards. Their contribution was really appreciated,” he says.
The offenders also removed fallen branches from parks and reserves.
Community work is a community-based sentence which requires offenders to do unpaid work in the community. It requires offenders to pay something back to the community for the offence they have committed.
Community work also gives offenders a chance to learn new skills and work habits.
People sentenced to community work will report to a probation officer at a Community Probation Service centre. In deciding how each offender will serve their hours, a probation officer will take into account their offence, their personal circumstances, and their needs and skills.
There are currently almost 18,000 offenders placed on Community Work in New Zealand.
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ISSN 1178-8453