Agenda item

(a)  Perspectives - Youth Council

(b)  Targeted Youth Support - Youth Offending Team

[The paper provides an opportunity for Youth Council to raise concerns about youth safety and to consider targeted youth support arrangements]

Youth Council members Emma Curran and Emerson Palmer were in attendance at the meeting to ask four questions relating to youth Crime from the Youth Council:

1.         We believe that a lot of crime goes unreported. Young people need to feel comfortable to report crimes that they have been victims of crime

2.         What support is available to young people who have been victims of crime and how is this information being shared with them?

3.         What crimes classify as "anti-social behaviour" and how can we reduce the negative stigma surrounding young people who gather on the streets, making everyone feel safer and improving relationships between young people and communities?

4.         What can be done to avoid criminalising young people and delete victimising?

Karen Samuels, Head of Community Safety provided an overview of the report she advised that the report writer Sally Nash, Head of Youth Offending Team (YOT) had responded to the questions in the report that had been circulated with the agenda.  The report focus is on the implications of the Youth Justice Plan and the contribution made by the Youth Offending Team to community safety and how that can be supported.  She invited Superintendent Keith Frazer in his role of the Chair of the YOT to contribute to Councillors questions.

The Head of Community Safety advised that under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, each Local Authority Area is required to have in place Youth Offending Team (YOT) arrangements. Central government provides a grant to support Local Justice Services via the Youth Justice Board (YJB).  A condition of the grant (£581,100) is the preparation of the Youth Justice (YJ) Plan which highlights performance and key priorities for the future for the area. Karen Samuels highlighted that targeted work helps to avoid victimising all young people.

The Superintendent advised that in terms of the fear of crime (FOC) as a police officer there is often a mismatch of FOC and actual crime.  He suggested that there are routes where young people can become victims of crime and that work is on-going to raise awareness; currently working with ‘HeadStart’ to raise awareness of young people ‘Sexting’ taking images of themselves to share with others. 

Superintendent Keith Frazer responded to further questions from the Youth Council to underline and emphasize what work is being done.  Operation Nexus is about targeting activities for young people which have been really successful, work relating to cyber bullying and work with focus on families.

The Youth Council highlighted that there is a lot more drug related crime and contraband alcohol than is known about by authorities.  The Superintendent identified that there are some unscrupulous shop keepers and that prevention aspects and education of young people was paramount.

Ros Jervis, Service Director Health and Wellbeing advised the scrutiny panel how agencies had worked together to counter issues with alcohol, tobacco, drug use and counterfeit goods in an area before the summer.  This way of working, to focus on the same group was a better use of resource.  She advised of work to develop a ‘Tobacco and substance misuse alliance’ to gather as much rich intelligence from our communities in this one forum.  She said that it would to include the youth Council in the forum.

Cllr Paula Brookfield was conscious of the mapping exercise taking place and asked to receive further information relating to fatal contraband and alcohol.

Cllr Rita Potter welcomed this as a quality piece of work using resources to best effect. The Service Director advised that at this time different groups were being pulled together and there would need to be some prioritisation amongst the groups many of which would be legal ‘highs’.

Resolved:

1.    That the Scrutiny Panel note the corporate implications of the Youth Justice Plan and the contribution made by the Youth Offending team to Community Safety and how that can be supported.

2.    That a report be submitted to a future meeting relating to fatal contraband and alcohol.