Community service vests plan begins

6:30pm Monday 1st December 2008

High visibility vests for criminals on community service are being introduced.

The Government has ordered 10,000 orange vests with "Community Payback" written on the back in purple to mark out offenders doing manual work.

Ministers hope the uniforms will increase public confidence in community punishments which are seen by some as a soft option compared to jail.

But critics have warned the bibs could make offenders a target for gangland attacks.

Probation officers have demanded health and safety assessments be carried out before projects begin to ensure the safety of staff and offenders.

Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of Napo, the probation officers' union, said: "The Government is claiming that this initiative is being introduced to raise public awareness.

"That can be done in other ways, for example by a plaque after the work is completed. The real intention of the vests is to make the Government look tougher on crime and to demean the offenders. There are, however, real health and safety considerations. There have already been a number of attacks and incidents on unpaid work placements. The use of high visibility vests seems certain to increase the risk."

He said the union had referred the issue to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, on the grounds that vests could lead to ethnic or racial stereotyping.

The policy of making criminals wear high-visibility vests is supported by the British public, according to the Government's crime adviser. Louise Casey said the "vast majority" of the public thought it was commonsense.

But Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti attacked the scheme, describing it as "medieval justice".