Greater Manchester Police has donated £5,000 to the Norley Hall Allotment Project which was designed as a means of getting young people previously responsible for antisocial behaviour and criminal damage to put something back into their local community.
The money was made available through Payback, a police project to ensure that ill-gotten gains are taken from offenders and invested in local community projects.
The young people use the opportunity to grow flowers and plants that can then be presented to local victims of crime, hopefully improving the negative perception some members of the community have of young people.
Inspector Phil James of the Pemberton Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “This project has already had a beneficial impact on the local community. So far more than 30 young people have taken part in the scheme, and it has led to significant reductions in antisocial behaviour and criminal damage.
“It also helps young people to gain a qualification in horticulture, and the extra funding will sustain the project over the next year.”
Following the introduction of the scheme, there has been a 13 per cent drop in antisocial behaviour and a 23 per cent fall in criminal damage between 1 April and 30 November 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.
