Teenagers caught shoplifting repaint bus shelter

Two Fakenham teenagers have been forced to make amends for shoplifting by repainting a graffiti-covered bus shelter.The two girls, aged 14 and 15, had stolen from three shops before they were caught by the manager of a clothes store in Fakenham, who reported them to the police.

Two Fakenham teenagers have been forced to make amends for shoplifting by repainting a graffiti-covered bus shelter.

The two girls, aged 14 and 15, had stolen from three shops before they were caught by the manager of a clothes store in Fakenham, who reported them to the police.

But rather than take the case through the courts, the town's Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) agreed with the youngsters, their parents and shop managers to resolve the matter through Restorative Justice (RJ).

RJ is an alternative to criminal prosecution which brings offenders together with their victims to resolve low-level crimes. The agreed method of community punishment was to clean and re-paint a wooden bus shelter on Norwich Road.

PCSO Jo Robotham, from Fakenham NPT, said: "The repair was made at a time when it was visible to other young people, therefore acting as a deterrent and providing reassurance to the community. At every stage the aim of RJ is to meet the needs of the victim, repair harm, pay back damage to the community and impact offending behaviour by helping to support the offender turn away from crime."

Norfolk has seen more than 1,800 RJ interventions, engaging with over 6,000 victims, community members and offenders.