Restorative Justice helps Tiptree business out of a jam

A business in Tiptree has once again benefited from restorative justice after suffering repeated counts of anti-social behaviour, vandalism and criminal damage.

Back in 2018, the world-famous Wilkin and Sons Jam Factory in Tiptree contacted the Essex Restorative Mediation Service (ERMS) to see if they could help after a spate of ASB incidents at the factory.

ERMS which is based at the PFCC’s office, visited the factory to find that greenhouses and crops had been damaged and there were fears that people entering the premises may injure themselves on farm equipment.

Wilkin and Sons were also concerned that the young people who had caused the criminal damage would continue to come back and cause further, ongoing damage which had already mounted to over £15,000.

With participation from the factory, police and the local secondary school, ERMS put together a programme that sought to engage young people to give them an understanding of how the factory operates and the risk associated with breaking in, and crucially, how it impacted on the business.

The first project was delivered in October 2019 and involved over 200 students from Year 10. Subsequently, incidents of crime and ASB reduced at the factory from happening every week to the occasional group using the sheltered area during cold weather.

After suffering a further spate of ASB and criminal damage in 2022, Wilkin & Sons contacted ERMS and Essex Police to discuss re-running the project. Using the learnings from the 2019 project, ERMS devised a plan to help strengthen the relationship between Wilkin & Sons and the local secondary school through restorative and conflict resolution awareness sessions and also highlight the consequences of criminal behaviour from a police perspective.

Following completion of the project a survey was carried out. Garnering almost 300 responses, students who took part reported they had a much greater appreciation of the significant financial impact of criminal and anti-social behaviour on the business, as well as the risks of harm posed to individuals who trespass due to farm machinery and other hazards.

Students also reflected on the benefits of mediation with one saying mediators were very helpful in resolving conflict while others noted the importance of thinking about actions and consequences.

You can find out more about the case here, including the feedback from students and professionals on how restorative justice helped provide a positive step towards resolution. https://restorativeessex.co.uk/case-studies/tiptree-case-a-positive-way-to-build-a-relationship-between-wilkin-sons-factory-and-the-local-community/

If you would like to learn more about what ERMS do you can find out more at About Us – Restorative Justice (restorativeessex.co.uk)