UK Youth Crime action plan Invests $3.6 Million In Yorkshire And Humberside

Almost 56,000 young people in Yorkshire and Humberside have benefited from £3.65 million of Government funding as part of the Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP), Policing and Crime Minister David Hanson MP announced today.

Through YCAP, local youth services and police work together to tackle problems of youth crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB), and to intervene where potential problems are likely to arise. In Yorkshire and Humberside, 8,270 of the young people engaged were referred on to other services where they received specialised support.

Since YCAP was launched in 11 areas within Yorkshire and Humberside, they have spent their funding on rolling out the seven core crime fighting initiatives between November 08 and September 09:

• After School Patrols to prevent youth crime and antisocial behaviour at peak times (3,333 patrols carried out around 688 schools with 1,942 referrals to other services);

• Operation Staysafe – using safeguarding powers to take children off the streets at night and return them to a safe place (342 operations carried out with 8,734 young people removed to a place of safety and 1,296 referred to other services);

• Street Based Youth Teams – engaging hard to reach young people hanging around (deployed 857 times and engaged with16,445 young people);

• Youth Offending Team workers in custody suites to identify and address young offenders’ needs early on and help keep them on the right track (794 young people engaged with and 171 referrals to other services);

• Pay back work in leisure time (including Friday and Saturday nights) – making young offenders feel the consequences of their behaviour. Also, greater community involvement in identifying pay back work and  more feedback to communities on the work that has been completed  (3,817 sessions completed);

• Family Intervention Projects – intensive and persistent support for the most challenging families with children at risk of committing crime/ASB (Projects have already worked with 615 problem families);

• Think Family – providing a framework for adults and children’s services to work together to improve identification and support to families at risk (Think Family is currently being introduced into every local authority area).

YCAP operates in 11 areas in the region; they are Barnsley, Bradford, Doncaster, Kingston upon Hull, Kirklees, Leeds, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, Rotherham, Sheffield and Wakefield.

Since YCAP’s introduction, a number of police force areas in the region have reported a fall in the number of calls complaining about youth antisocial behaviour and youth crime from July to September this year, compared to the same period in 2008:

• North East Lincolnshire – 27 per cent reduction

• North Lincolnshire – 24 per cent reduction

• Rotherham – 23 per cent reduction

• Hull – 12 per cent reduction

This builds on the Home Secretary’s commitment to tackle antisocial behaviour by clamping down on ASBO breaches; better support for victims and driving up the performance in 62 areas where the public’s perception of antisocial behaviour is too high, including Barnsley, Bradford, Doncaster, North East Lincolnshire, Rotherham and Wakefield.

David Hanson said:

“We are committed to tackling youth crime, most importantly through nipping in the bud the early signs of criminal behaviour. We have made some excellent progress in Yorkshire and Humberside and early indicators show it is making a really positive difference to the lives of young people and communities across the region.

“But we are not complacent. There is still much work to be done and I am committed to ensuring our young people and communities are on the right track and our streets remain safe for everyone.

”We know that the vast majority of young people recognise right from wrong and make a positive contribution to our society.  There are a minority however who persist in antisocial behaviour and some in more serious criminal activity – their behaviour will not be tolerated.”

Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said:

“The vast majority of young people are on the right track, do not offend and make positive contributions to society. However, youth crime can have a devastating effect on communities and must be dealt with head-on. We are investing more towards tackling youth crime than at any time in the past, and I’m pleased to see the progress being made in Yorkshire and Humberside following £3.85 million Government investment.

“We know what works to reduce youth crime – tough enforcement and punishment, effective support for young people and families, and better and earlier intervention. A good example of this approach, which delivers results, is Family Intervention Projects – which have been rolled out in every area to challenge and support the most difficult families. We are also investing £22.5million to refurbish youth facilities in areas with higher rates of youth crime and anti-social behaviour to give young people safe and exciting places to go.”

Justice Minister Maria Eagle said:

“Youth crime and antisocial behaviour can have a devastating effect on communities and young people themselves.

“Our approach is to seek to prevent young people from turning to crime in the first place, but is clear that there are serious consequences for those that do offend.

“From the end of this month the new Youth Rehabilitation Order will build on progress by putting in place a new sentencing framework for young people, providing robust community-based punishments while at the same time placing an emphasis on rehabilitation and reparation.”

YCAP was launched in 69 areas in July last year and is a cross-government initiative with a triple track approach of tough enforcement where behaviour is unacceptable or illegal; non-negotiable support to address the underlying causes of poor behaviour and early intervention to tackle problems before they become serious or entrenched.

To view the 11 case studies mentioned in this press release, please follow the link below.

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=408834&NewsAreaID=2&ClientID=81

Topics: Britain, crime fighting initiatives, David Hanson, Governance, Humberside, police, security, UK, United Kingdom, YCAP, Yorkshire, youth, Youth Crime Action Plan, youth support

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