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Probation trust wins innovation award

Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust have won first prize in national GeoVation Ordnance Survey competition. The team’s award…

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust have won first prize in the national GeoVation Ordnance Survey competition.

The team’s award-winning idea is a phone app that makes it easier for members of the public to nominate and track community payback projects offenders will work on to improve their local communities.

Team leader Jason Davies said:

“Were overjoyed to win this competition. There were ten seriously good ideas in the final this year, which makes us even more pleased to have won. It was great to link up with other great teams in such a collaborative process.”

The SWM Probation team won £40,000 of funding to get their idea up and running. Probation Minister Crispin Blunt said:
 
“It is unsurprising that Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust have won the top prize. They are particularly well led and have proved themselves to be a thoughtful and entrepreneurial organisation and natural leaders in the public sector.  Innovation is key to delivering a more effective and efficient probation service and technology can play a key role in this.
 
“The public want to see offenders giving something back to their communities; this phone app will help and this prize rewards the Trust’s pioneering spirit.”

More information about the Ordnance Survey’s GeoVation Challenge

Nominate projects for Community Payback

Published 27 June 2012