Jigsaw Support’s Roots team were part of Greater Manchester Police’s Operation AVRO which helps target offenders.
Together they visited offenders in Tameside who had been supported by Roots, highlighting the essential work the team does to manage risk and rehabilitation in the community.
Operation AVRO is a force wide initiative that provides extra resources and specialist officers to different districts of Greater Manchester. It aims to target crimes and address what members of the public are most concerned about.
Officers visited the homes of two offenders who had found accommodation through Roots and were integrating back into the community. They wanted to assess compliance with Licence conditions, drug test offenders and address any risks or safeguarding issues.
Acting Chief Constable (ACC) Chris Sykes was very impressed with the conditions of their homes and the wrap around service provided by Roots, which was helping to stop reoffending behaviours. He was keen to discuss how GMP could provide additional support to Roots.
During the visits, Joanne Simpson, Jigsaw Support’s Roots Keyworker, also explained the work that had taken place through Spotlight, a multi-agency approach to crime and reoffending in local communities, which works to identify and manage persistent and problematic offenders.
Both offenders told ACC Sykes that they wouldn’t be where they were today without the support that Jo and Spotlight conduct on a daily basis.
