Few have the physical scars of a James Bond baddie and for the most part they anonymously wander the streets, their criminal records hidden from view.

Not any more. In a controversial move, the Government has invested £22,000 in a batch of 10,000 bright orange bibs emblazoned with the slogan "community payback".

Officially unveiled yesterday by Home Secretary Jack Straw, the plan is to hand out the vests to those on community service orders to prove to a sceptical public that justice is indeed being done.

However, as the photocalls began, critics couldn't help wondering whether the scheme was a 21st-century version of medieval branding, albeit painless, temporary and dressed up in fluorescent colours.

Human rights group Liberty described it as "cheap and nasty" and those responsible for ensuring community service orders are completed balked at the scheme – formulated and introduced, they said, without proper consultation with those on the frontline.

"Wearing the so-called vest of shame introduces unnecessary risk," said Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of the National Association of Probation Officers. "The Government is claiming that this initiative is being introduced to raise public awareness, but that can be done in other ways, for example, by a plaque after the work is completed. The real intention of the vests is to make the Government look tough on crime and to demean the offenders."

In one incident last June, an offender was shot while cleaning up leaves in east London. A later report said the high visibility vest he was wearing at the time was a contributory factor. In Liverpool, another man working on a community scheme was shot in the leg and two others were also attacked.

While NAPO fears such incidents could well escalate as the community payback bibs are rolled out across the country, the Government is desperate to restore shaken confidence in the criminal justice system and prove once and for all that it doesn't put the welfare of offenders before their victims.

Running the gauntlet of criticism and opposition to the scheme, crime and communities adviser Louise Casey, who spent eight months consulting 13,000 people before penning the original report, was insistent that the public fears had to be answered.

She is not a woman who pulls punches. In her previous incarnation as the Government's homelessness tsar, she accused some charities of perpetuating the problem with free handouts and she has been equally vocal about the need to tighten community service legislation.

"The point of the orange jackets is not to humiliate people but to make the punishment visible," she said. "We have got to be clear that if you wake up in the morning, you go out and commit a criminal offence then you are going to face a consequence.

"One of those consequences is that you will end up in an orange jacket cleaning the streets in your community. This is about making people accountable for the offences they commit.

"You have to get your head round the fact of whose side are we on in all of this. Are we on the side of the criminals or are we on the side of the public?

"If we want the public to come forward, give evidence, report crime and feel confident the British justice system is on their side they've got to see consequences for criminals."

With prisons full to capacity and judges discouraged from handing out jail terms for less serious crimes, community based sentences have been on the increase in recent years. In America, the high visibility jackets are already in use and with celebrity offenders George Michael and Boy George and Naomi Campbell photographed cleaning office buildings and sweeping the streets, the hope is the increased profile over here will also act as a deterrent.

This may sadly be wishful thinking. In front of the glare of television cameras, Mr Straw asked a recipient of one of the new jackets whether the community punishment made him less likely to re-offend. The response was hardly a glowing endorsement of the scheme.

"I do not think I will come back because it's a big waste of time and money," said the man, completing 80 hours of unpaid work for refusing to give a
breath sample to police after running a red light, before adding: "It's better than going to prison."

Others were similarly unrepentant. "There's already a board near to where we work which tells the public who we are," said one. "I don't know why the public should know what we've been up to."

"It doesn't bother me," added a third. "It wouldn't have stopped me getting into trouble."

While the success of the orange bibs won't be known for some time, those who have seen other well-meaning schemes fall at the first hurdle are understandably cynical.

Seven years ago, a pilot scheme was launched aimed at getting unemployed offenders to complete their community sentence.

Those who failed to turn up on two occasions faced sanctions from a loss of benefit to fines and imprisonment. However, earlier this year NAPO admitted the initiative had not only failed to increase the number of completed community sentences, but had actually led to an increase in crime in some areas. The problem was that those whose benefits were stopped admitted turning to crime.

"It was flawed from the start," said Mr Fletcher. "It is a double whammy and a waste of public money. The scheme is over-bureaucratic and there is no evidence that the threat of withholding benefits makes people any more likely to comply to a community sentence."

While the Government says crime is on the decrease it also recognises that fear of crime is on the up. Stories of anti-social behaviour, the rise of binge-drinking and what's being seen as a general decline in respect had made many of society's most vulnerable wary of leaving the safety of their own four walls.

The Government's answer to this has been a raft of proposals – from online maps updated each month with details of crimes which would allow the public to compare crime rates and police performance with other areas, to backing the creation of community crime fighters.

"Many people feel the justice system is distant and unaccountable," said Ms Casey. "By the start of next year, information about crime should be published and delivered to homes by way of leaflets which would also include details of action taken to tackle crime.

"Often, people are aware crimes have been committed, but never know if somebody is later sentenced and convicted. We need much better feedback from the police. We would also support the setting up of community crime fighters, umbrella organisations, including resident groups and other community organisations to help tackle crime and "community kitties" to fund them."

Many have been left unimpressed by the plans which seem to shift responsibility from the police to members of the public.

Like yesterday's launch of the community payback bibs, the Government's plans to cut crime and improve safety appear to be little more than a sticking plaster on a very gaping wound.