Offenders who have turned their back on crime met Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill yesterday.
Mr MacAskill visited Aberdeen yesterday to see for himself some of the work undertaken by offenders, including those who clean the city’s beach as part of their community payback orders (CPOs).
Among those hard at work yesterday was Richard Thomson, who was sentenced to a CPO for growing cannabis.
The 32-year-old, who lives in the city centre, said: “This has really helped motivate me and leave that kind of life behind.
“I have been given a lot more opportunities through the experience than I ever had before – people can see that I’m getting back in to the community in a positive way.
“You’re doing something for the city and you can actually see the results.”
On a previous visit to the city, Mr MacAskill visited Trinity Cemetery where offenders were working to fix fallen headstones through a £45,699 project.
Insisting the programme was “no soft option”, Mr MacAskill said: “This is what we want to see – people who have harmed our communities doing something for their community. It gives people a sense of purpose.
“They work hard in all weathers and the skills and experience they learn gives them a chance to move their lives on.”
Launched in 2011, CPOs can run for between six months and three years, with unpaid work ranging from 30 to 300 hours.
The council’s safety convener Len Ironside said: “The community payback scheme is working right here in Aberdeen.
“Some of the people involved will be able to find a job through the skills that they have learned.
“These offenders are not murderers or hardened criminals – with the type of crimes that they have committed, sending them to prison will see them learn nothing but how to be in prison and perhaps commit more serious crimes.
“It’s better that they live inside of the community than outside it.”