First time entrants rate falls in Warwickshire
Early intervention is working in order to divert young people from crime according to Warwickshire County Council’s Youth Offending Service.
New Government figures(1) show a 10 per cent fall in Warwickshire in the number of first time entrants to the criminal justice system, aged between 10 and 17-years-old, over the last year, which is also echoed nationally.
These figures are the result of successful partnership working between Warwickshire County Council’s Youth Offending Service, Warwickshire Police, ‘Positive about Young People’ and other early intervention services.
Restorative Justice is one of the successful techniques used by the Youth Offending Service to divert young people away from crime and get them involved in more positive activities.
It also gives young people a chance to put right the harm they have caused - either through apology to the victim, community based reparation or direct reparation to the victim.
Heather Shilling, Warwickshire County Council’s Operations Manager (Interventions) at the Youth Offending Service, said: “The more we can get young people involved in positive activities the better it is for everyone.
“We are working incredibly hard with young people, parents and carers to ensure young people recognise the benefits of helping the community and keeping themselves out of trouble.”
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Children, Young People and Families, said: “This is fantastic news and is testament to the hard work carried out by a number of agencies county-wide and shows how well early intervention can work in preventing further offences.
“It is also encouraging to see more young people getting involved in more positive activities that benefit the whole community.”
To find out more about the Youth Offending Service, visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/yot.
(1) - DCSF figures taken from the Police National Computer (PNC)