C-FAR reinforced its aims to build a relationship with the whole community of Highampton as the 12th batch of trainees graduated from the charity's pioneering rehabilitation course for young offenders on Tuesday.

At the first prize-giving ceremony at C-FAR's new premises — the former Burden Grange Nursing Home in Highampton — deputy chief executive Les Christiansen said everyone involved with the charity was delighted to be in a permanent home after 18 months at Okehampton Camp.

'We are very grateful to the MOD and staff at Okehampton Camp but it is nice to have your own place and we have obtained a wonderful building and grounds which will be conducive to the work of C-FAR,' he said.

'What we wish now is to build a relationship with the whole community and work with them.'

His comments were echoed by local police officers and district councillor for Highampton Dennis Bater who said time would be the biggest factor.

C-FAR's relocation to Highampton has met with strong opposition from the local community who fear crime will increase and their house prices will fall.

Mr Bater said a lot of work was being done to try and build bridges with local people and he hoped it would be successful.

'I have seen the work of C-FAR at first hand and have been impressed,' he said. 'We should remember that the Gilead Foundation has been running a similar type of operation at Jacobstowe for the last ten years and you would not know they were there.'

PC Mark Hoar, who is the community constable for the Highampton area, said anything that was being done to encourage young criminals to right themselves and go back into society should be supported.

'I fully appreciate that the people of Highampton have concerns which is why I have spent a high proportion of my time in the village in order to give the public reassurances,' he said.

'There is a perception that the crime rate will go up but to date there has been no increase.'

He said the young offenders at C-FAR had gone through a selection process and each one had made a decision to get out of the cycle of reoffending. They had been given a chance for a fresh start in life.

One of the six trainees presented with certificates for completing the 11-week intensive residential course at C-FAR, Michael, said his problems started with alcohol which shattered his dream of becoming a soldier.

'Under the Rehabilitation Act, the army will not accept me for ten years by which time I will be 32 and too old to join,' he said.

'The only other thing I wanted to do was get a decent job on the oil rigs and with C-FAR's help this is what I hope to do.'

Guest of honour at the ceremony was new Mayor of West Devon Richard Philips who said prisons were potential training camps for criminals and it was time to steer away from that system.

'C-FAR is doing an excellent job and I can see from the determination in the faces of these lads that they are going to achieve what they want in life. We need more places like this.'

Among the guests were police officers from Dorset who were on a fact finding mission to find how C-FAR worked and whether it could be developed in Dorset.

But as the ceremony took place on Tuesday, some local residents had put up protest banners in their gardens.

Spokesman for the opponents Michael Puckey said C-FAR was doing all it could to be 'squeaky clean' but it would never be

welcome in the village.

'As time goes on and there are no problems in terms of increased crime then it is likely that the village will accept they are there but C-FAR will never be welcome,' he said.

'As far as we are concerned this is the wrong place for it although nobody disagrees with its aims.'