Hire ex-cons, businesses urged by police chief
THE West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is meeting with dozens of regional businesses in a bid to encourage firms to employ ex-offenders.
Simon Foster said giving people the responsibility to work after serving time in prison is an important way of breaking the cycle of crime and plug gaps in the jobs market.
Ex-prisoners are known to struggle to get a job as many employers tend to shy away from employing candidates with a criminal record.
One of the companies at the PCC’s Business Crime Summit was retailer Timpson – one of the largest employers of ex-offenders in the UK, with around 12 per cent of its staff having a criminal record.
The companies attending the Business Crime Summit will all be asked to help design and sign up to the PCC’s Second Chances Charter – an agreement with businesses to employ ex-offenders.
Mr Foster said: “It’s important that people who have served their time are given a second chance. If we are to break the cycle of crime, and ensure people have the opportunity to make a positive contribution to society and start paying taxes, then we need to enable them to find a job and help them to be net contributors to society.
“I’m delighted so many firms have agreed to take part in the summit.
“My intention is to convince as many of them as possible that people with a criminal record can make great employees and need a second chance.”
Darren Burns, from Timpson, added: “As a business Timpson believes that everyone deserves a second chance.
“That’s why we’ve given thousands of people the opportunity to put their past behind them and focus instead on what they can achieve in the future.
“Employment can help reduce re-offending, but it’s also good for business, as our staff are often more loyal and even more honest than those who join us from more usual recruitment streams.”