Recently, I chatted with Sir Phil Redmond CBE, creator of TV hits including Brookside, Hollyoaks and Grange Hill. He talked about Zammo and Jimmy Corkhill – and how important the theme of ‘redemption’ was in creating these iconic characters.
It was a fitting introduction to the occasion, setting the scene for the initiative I was launching aimed at breaking the cycle of re-offending.
I’d invited around 100 senior business leaders and relevant public sector partners from across Cheshire, to an exclusive event seeking collaboration opportunities, in which we co-create a new employment programme for ex-offenders.
I am keen to use my position as Police and Crime Commissioner, to do things differently. Helping communities to thrive and ensure people feel safe across the county. As they say, ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got’. As someone with an engineering background that doesn’t sit well with me, and I’m eager to try and provide different opportunities to help find solutions for problems we currently face across the county.
I don’t think we should accept that 50% of prison leavers will (on average) re-offend within three years. This cycle ruins lives and has a knock-on effect to the person and their family. It also costs the country over £18bn a year, money that could be used to fund intervention and prevention initiatives, helping to nip crime in the bud. Evidence shows that when ex-offenders are offered meaningful career opportunities, somewhere they can develop in a professional capacity, they can transform their lives and integrate better into a law-abiding society.
Around 3,000 people are managed by probation in Cheshire. About a third of these are looking for employment or training. Meanwhile, brilliant businesses across Cheshire have been telling me that they’re crying out for loyal, motivated and reliable employees. Research by New Futures Network has shown that’s exactly what ex-offenders can be, given the chance.
Offering redemption – that chance to choose a positive path – is a no brainer. Lord Timpson, Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation, has championed this for years with prison-leavers, employing many in his businesses. He spoke at my event to show his support and share his experience of recruiting ex-offenders straight from prison and the positive impact it has had.
We know it can be done. The challenge is to make it work here – at pace and at scale – in Cheshire.
At a time when we’re all being asked to deliver more with less, I’m looking for new ways to tackle challenges. New ways of working together, new ways to bring the right people together who have a stake in Cheshire’s success, both businesses and those working with offenders.
With the support from Probation, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Cheshire businesses, I’ll drive this programme forward. My aim is to launch the programme in the Autumn and get 100 ex-offenders into employment in 2025.
Once this aim is met, the programme will be evaluated enabling us to learn what went well and what didn’t before rolling out the programme further and find more employment for ex-offenders.
If we do this right, it will make a real difference in Cheshire, preventing crime, reducing re-offending, solving workforce shortages and turning offenders into workers.
With your support, I’m determined to show what a difference we can make.
If you’re a business that would like to get involved, please don’t hesitate to contact my office.
Dan Price
Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner
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