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Persistent young offenders
17/02/2010
News ways of tackling young offenders ranging from early intervention for low level offending to tough sanctions for serious offenders will be tested in Grampian.
Part of the new approach will use tactics similar to those used to successfully engage with Glasgow gangs. The get tough tactics will involve police identifying those causing the most misery to communities and working with local agencies to offer an alternative to a life of crime. If the young offenders refuse to engage, they will feel the full force of the law.
It will also see local agencies engage with young offenders who are starting on a path to more serious crimes.
The pilot will be backed by £1.2 million Scottish Government funding and will run for the next two years before being evaluated.
Visiting the Tillydrone initiative, an existing programme that will be part of the Grampian pilot, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said:
"We all know that a very small minority of young people get involved in offending, and an even smaller minority of them that cause the most misery in our communities. We need to target them specifically and separate them from the rest of offenders. Quite often, these serious and persistent young offenders are deeply troubled and have complex problems - they can be harmful to both themselves and others. To stop these young people becoming trapped in a life of crime we have to act now.
"That is why we are working with local partners in Grampian to pilot an intelligence-led approach to dealing with our most serious and persistent young offenders which will be backed up with £1.2 million funding. This will enable local agencies to identify, target, challenge and support the most serious and persistent offenders in their area, using a model similar to the successful approach to tackling gangs in Strathclyde.
"We know there is no quick or easy solution but we are determined to challenge the root causes of these problems - often the pervasive effects of drink, drugs and deprivation. But one thing we are clear about is that this Government is absolutely committed to reducing offending by young people and making our communities safer."
Derek Penman, Assistant Chief Constable of Grampian Police said:
"Grampian Police welcomes the opportunity to pilot new ways of engaging with hard to reach young people in our communities. The majority of young people in the Grampian area are a credit to their families and their communities. In fact the number of crimes committed by young people has been falling over the last 5 years.
"There are however, a small minority whose behaviour continues to disrupt neighbourhoods and causes unnecessary alarm. Young people who persistently commit crime are ruining their own lives as well as the lives of those around them. Investing in services to intervene early and tackle the root causes of crime is far more effective than watching young people failing to achieve their full potential. But where young people do not respond to offers of help and support we cannot sit back. We will focus our efforts on the most challenging young people and use all the available resources to prevent them from causing chaos in our communities."
Anne Currie, Area Procurator Fiscal, Grampian said:
"The Crown Office and Prosecution Fiscal Service is committed to listening to the needs of the community and responding to those needs in our approach to persistent offending and in the appropriate use of Diversion from prosecution. We in Grampian are looking forward to this positive opportunity to tackle the issues arising for young persistent offenders, for their benefit and that of the community. We shall work with our Criminal Justice partners to implement appropriate early diversion from prosecution within this new initiative."
Sacro's Chief Executive, Tom Halpin said:
"The Tillydrone Initiative is a prime example of voluntary sector involvement at its best. A small number of individuals are causing significant disruption to their community through their offending behaviour. Engagement with the target group is notoriously difficult but by taking a creative and flexible approach, Sacro has been able to make progress in building relationships and gaining their trust.
"There is no single magic solution that will solve such complex issues. It is only by taking an intensive and measured approach that we can make progress towards making Scotland's communities safer and more pleasant places to live."
£1.2 million funding will be provide over two years by the Scottish Government. Local partners will also make a significant contribution to the cost of implementation. Funding will pay for realignment and improved ways of joint working, provision of new services and realignment of existing services, redeploying key staff and the provision of training and evaluation.
The money will build on the good services that are already in place in Aberdeen. For example increasing the use restorative justice to ensure more victims have access to a service that deals with repairing the harm caused by offending. Also look to role out the Tillydrone project city wide for under 18's to ensure that we target and engage effectively with the small number of young people who's offending behaviour is persistent and has a significant impact on communities.
Too many young people are unnecessarily propelled through formal systems when they get into trouble. Evidence shows that, of those young people who do get into trouble, 80 per cent will learn their lesson and not reoffend without any formal intervention. Many young people could and should be diverted from statutory measures - such as the children's hearing system, prosecution and custody - through early intervention and robust community alternatives.
It is only a very small, but significant, number of young people that cause the most serious harm in our communities that really need to be dealt with through these formal systems. The whole system approach has the potential to achieve this by putting in place a more streamlined and consistent response to young people that works across all systems and agencies to achieve better outcomes for young people and their communities.
The Police, Local Authority, Community Justice Authority, Children's Reporter, Crown Office and Procurators Fiscal and Voluntary Sector will work together in Grampian to deliver this.