Community Payback Officer
Wes has worked as an Unpaid Work Supervisor for 16 years. Wes came to this country when he was eight years old. For the last 16 years, Wes has worked for the Probation Service in the role of a Supervisor.
Previously to this his background was working in youth centres/clubs and also as a community worker. He decided to improve himself and went to Manchester Metropolitan University to gain a Youth and Community Work Award. However, towards the end of the course, someone mentioned the Probation Service to him and Wes saw an advert for what was then called a Community Service Supervisor position. Wes applied and was given a three day contract. Eighteen months later, he became full time.
What Wes finds interesting about his line of work is the meeting of different people all of the time. Wes hopes that through the contact offenders have with him he can make a difference to their lives and hopefully get them to move away from a life of crime. Wes enjoys working outdoors with the offenders, although this is not always possible dependent on the weather. Wes does not feel threatened when he is out on site working with offenders because of the support and backup he gets from the Unit and the Organisation as a whole.
In the main, Wes feels that what he does is very positive for both offenders and the community; "There are many times when people will come across and say what a good job the offenders are doing. This makes it all the more worthwhile."
