News / Bike project receives extra funding
THE SHETLAND bicycle project has been awarded £6,000 in funding under the Scottish government’s community payback scheme.
The extra money was announced by justice secretary Kenny MacAskill on Wednesday as part of a £500,000 package to 17 projects in the north of Scotland.
Community payback projects ensure low level offenders repay their debt to society through manual labour in the community, while the funding to allow them to do so comes from money seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Mr MacAskill said: “We should be using these low-level offenders as a resource to make improvements to local communities instead of giving them free bed and board in prison.
“This approach also gives offenders a chance to learn new skills and show them that hard work can have its rewards instead of a life of crime.”
The Shetland bike project recycles bicycles donated by the public and the police, which are then sold to the public at a low cost.
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