THE WILTSHIRE Police and Crime Commissioner has renewed his backing of a charity that works to reintegrate sex offenders into society.

Circles South West uses its volunteer force to help offenders develop positive identities by building trusting relationships with them. Their support is designed to reduce rates of reconviction in the area.

Over 600 people living in Swindon and Wiltshire have been convicted of sexual offences.

PCC Angus Macpherson addressed the charity’s volunteers in recognition of their work in the community. He said: “I recall seeing an advertisement for volunteers put out by Circles South West and the headline said, ‘do something amazing!’ They were spot on ladies and gentlemen, the work you do in your communities is truly amazing.”

“Let’s be under no doubt about the importance of what you do: you are re-integrating sex offenders back into the community and, crucially, helping to steer them away from re-offending. Put simply, you are protecting people in your midst, including children, from serious sexual harm.”

The commissioner awarded £78,000 to the charity when he was elected to the post to provide training to volunteers. Since then, the commissioner’s office has part-funded circles of support and accountability for 18 people convicted of serious sexual offences. A 70-strong team of volunteers has given 4050 hours’ of volunteering time to tackle the issue, which equates to over £56,000 worth of support.

By combating loneliness through emotional support, education and advice, Circles helps offenders to make positive choices while reducing their likelihood of falling into a cycle of crime.

However, the commissioner expressed concern over dwindling funding sources for the charity. He said: “I read that the National Probation Service is withdrawing about £250,000 of funding to local Circles from the autumn, although Circles UK will continue to be funded. This does seem to me to be a short-sighted decision given the work that local Circles does to reduce the risk to the community.”

Jo Burden, chief executive of Circles SW, was grateful for the commissioner’s support. She said: “It’s wonderful, it’s a real endorsement of our work. He really understands our purpose of preventing further sexual abuse and he’s particularly impressed by the way we manage our volunteers.”

She told the Adver that the public were increasingly understanding the need to manage sexual offenders once they have been released from prison. “We need to work productively with perpetrators,” she added. “The most recent research is showing an 88 per cent reduction in reconviction rates because of this type of support.”

“Without the volunteers there would be no Circles. They give a huge amount of their time and go above and beyond, often in return for slow progress.”

To support the charity, visit www.circles-southwest.org.uk/