Justice minister Claire Ward visits Bassingbourn to see community cashback scheme in action

JUSTICE minister Claire Ward visited Crow Country last week to inspect a flagship project reinvesting the profits of crime to protect elderly people.

The community cashback fund, which redirects ill-gotten gains confiscated from crooks to worthwhile causes, has given �10,000 to the "Bobby" scheme, which visits victims of burglary over the age of 60 to fit alarms and make home safety checks. The new grant will be used to fund the installation of an extra 500 burglar alarms.

Justice Minister Ward met police officers carrying out checks at a sheltered housing scheme in Bassingbourn.

She said: "The Cambridgeshire Bobby scheme is an excellent example of how the local criminal justice bodies can and are successfully working hand-in-hand with the community to tackle a real local problem. At the same time they are also helping to reduce the repeat burglary rate and making people feel much safer in their homes and community.

"It's more important than ever that the public can see and influence how justice is being delivered in their local. It is also right that criminals are made to payback for their crimes. The Community Cashback fund ensures that some of their ill-gotten gains are ploughed back into local communities," she said.

Elizabeth Damazer, manager of the Cambridgeshire Police Shrievalty Trust which runs the Bobby scheme, said the trust was "absolutely delighted" to receive the cash.

"This is going to allow us to make another 500 homes across Cambridgeshire more secure and we'll now be able to do this for free for all over 60s.

"Not only that, it's fantastic that the money for this is coming from the perpetrators of crime - it's fitting that their cash is being used to help make elderly people feel safer and more reassured in their own homes," she concluded.