Justice board sets out youth crime findings

Young people are the victims of most street crime, according to a
report from the Youth Justice Board. Those who looked weak or
vulnerable were more likely to be targeted.

The research found that young people most at risk of offending were
teenage boys with no positive male role models, young people with
no adult earners in the household, and those alienated from school.
A disproportionate number of black teenagers are involved in street
crime compared with other crimes such as motoring offences.

Street crime was most common in areas where social ties were weak
and children in poverty were in close contact with more affluent
children. The importance young people place on image, especially
the importance of possessions such as mobile phones, was a key
issue. 

– Young People and Street Crime by Marian Fitzgerald, Jan
Stockdale and Chris Hale. Available on www.youth-justice-board.gov.uk

Meanwhile, street crime and robbery fell by 31 per cent last summer
where Splash Extra schemes were run in Avon and Somerset, compared
with an increase of 56 per cent where there was no scheme.

In South Yorkshire, there was a reduction of 17 per cent fall in
Splash Extra areas compared with an increase of 62 per cent in
areas without it. Overall, Splash Extra schemes led to a fall of
5.2 per cent in local crime at a time of year when crime is
expected to increase.

The Splash Extra schemes were funded by the lottery’s New
Opportunities Fund.

l For further information see www.culture.gov.uk/sport/in dex.html