Leicestershire and Rutland Youth Justice Plan

Reduce the involvement of young people in the recorded crime categories of:

Measure One supports the principal aim of the youth justice system of preventing offending and National Objective 3, that of providing interventions that constructively tackles the issues that puts a young person at risk of offending.

In the period, January to December 2001, the total offending population of young people aged 10-17 years (i.e. those who received a substantive outcome) was 1157. In line with national trends, the majority of offending was by young men (83%) whilst 49% of offending was committed by young people aged 16-17.

There were 2250 offences recorded as committed by young people for which a substantive outcome was received. Of these, 28% (641) fell into the category of "other" including motoring and traffic offences, 20% (450) were theft and handling, arson and criminal damage represented13% (307) and violence against the person was 12% (268).

The target offences of vehicle crime and burglary, which are based on Police national targets, are less prevalent in Leicestershire and Rutland than those highlighted above. Vehicle crime represented 7% (152) of total offences, while burglary (both domestic and commercial) represented only 4% (84).

There were 8 racially aggravated offences recorded, representing only 0.3% of the total, but which is too low a number to be able to identify any meaningful pattern in terms of location or the communities most affected. However, the low numbers raises the question as to whether all such offences are being reported, correctly identified or appropriately prosecuted.

The number of offences committed by young people from ethnic minority communities is also low and at 3% (63) of the total is less than the 4.5% which makes up the ethnic minority population of Leicestershire and Rutland.

There is, however, a significant traveller population (although exact numbers are not available) in Leicestershire, which is not recorded or monitored in relation to the potential for discrimination in the youth justice system.  Working with the Travellers Education Service, improved monitoring of offending by young people from travelling communities will be put in place.

In Leicestershire, offending rates of looked after children (i.e. those looked after for more than 12 months) have unfortunately deteriorated this year, after reductions in the two previous years. In September 2001, 17 out of 123 young people received a reprimand, final warning or were convicted, representing an offending rate of 13.8% compared with 9.7% in 2000.

A new national target of a reduction to 7.2% by 2004 has been set for the Quality Protects programme. Locally we have agreed in the Leicestershire QP Management Action Plan for 2002/03 to aim to achieve a reduction to 10.5% by 2003 and 7.2% by 2004. The Reducing Offending Behaviour Group, which includes representatives from Social Services, the Police and the YOS will have responsibility for addressing this target.

In Rutland the looked after population is too small to set meaningful targets, with only 1 young person out of 8 receiving a conviction.

Locally we have been developing a youth crime prevention strategy under the auspices of the Leicestershire Partnership for Safer Communities, the overarching co-ordinating body for all the Crime Reduction Partnerships throughout Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Work undertaken by Crime Concern on behalf of the Strategy Group focussed on an analysis of the Reprimand and Final Warning population as the key target group in terms of prevention.

The most prevalent offences within this group were - theft from shops (25%), criminal damage (17%), and violence against person (15%). Girls featured equally with boys in relation to shop theft whilst Hinckley had the highest number of incidents. Young men were responsible for the majority of criminal damage offences with Harborough, Charnwood and North West Leicestershire having the highest number of incidents. Young women committed a high proportion of violence against the person offences. Hinckley and Bosworth, Charnwood and North West Leicestershire had the most offences.

Work is continuing to incorporate these findings into the priorities being set within the new Crime Reduction Strategies for each district based Partnership and to develop strategies to tackle and reduce such offending. It should be noted that the patterns of offending for the youth justice system as a whole in Leicestershire and Rutland are very similar, except that the category of theft and handling is broader than simply shop theft.

There has been a downward trend in vehicle crime within the Leicestershire Force area with 30% fewer crimes recorded since 1994/95. The number of young people involved in vehicle crime in 2001 was 114. In order to achieve the Youth Justice Boards target of a reduction in offences of 20% by 2003 and 30% by 2004, the numbers of young people involved in vehicle crime would need to be reduced by 23 and 34 respectively.

A vehicle related offending programme known as Motorvate and aimed at reducing re-offending has been commissioned from the Leicestershire Community Projects Trust, a local voluntary organisation. The programme is being developed in partnership with Leicester City YOT, the Police and Fire Service for use both by Leicestershire YOS and the City YOT.  A joint steering group will oversee the delivery of the programme and monitor and evaluate its effectiveness.

The programme is underpinned by cognitive behavioural principles and has been designed to focus on reducing the risk of re-offending. The aim of the programme is to develop the young peoples understanding of the impact and dangers of vehicle crime for their victims, their local communities, the young people themselves and the emergency services who often have to deal with the consequences of vehicle crime. In order to achieve this a variety of methods will be employed including input from the Leicestershire Fire Service and the Police who will be involved in delivering a workshop around the “Grief Driving” video. The video explores the possible fatal consequences of car crime and was produced locally with the assistance of a YJB grant.

The programme will be piloted in February 2002 and internally monitored and evaluated, particularly in respect of the impact on re-offending. Due to the low numbers of females involved in vehicle crime the pilot programme is aimed at young male offenders. However, it will be adapted accordingly to address the needs of female young offenders and will be available to be delivered on an individual or group basis. 8 group work programmes will be delivered over the next 12-month period and the programme will also be available to be delivered on an individual basis when assessed as more appropriate.

We will also offer sessions on the impact of vehicle crime, via Motorvate, at the early intervention stage in support of Final Warnings or as part of Referral Order contracts.

We will work in partnership with the Police to ensure the delivery to schools and youth clubs of the “Grief Driving” video as a preventative measure.

As with vehicle crime, recorded burglaries of people’s homes have been steadily falling, with a 50% reduction since 1994/95. Locally, Leicestershire Constabulary has set a reduction target of 30%, rather than 25%, by 2005 and we will, therefore, adjust the Board’s target to reflect the local situation

The number of young people involved in domestic burglary in 2001 was 37 and we need therefore to reduce the number to 26 if we are to achieve a reduction rate of 30%. Interim targets would be 33 (10%) by 2003, 31 (20%) by 2004 and 26 by 2005.

Strategies and available resources to reduce vehicle crime are more advanced than are those for burglary but they do provide a model. Work will be undertaken to develop cognitive behavioural programmes to be delivered to young people who have committed domestic burglary, with the aim of developing a similar overall approach to that planned for vehicle crime. One option is to purchase the  "Joe Blagg" programme tailored to reduce the involvement of young people in domestic burglary offences. The programme, produced by TIPP (Theatre in Prisons and Probation), makes use of theatre and drama techniques and can be delivered on a group or individual basis.

There is no strong evidence that either the high proportion of theft related offences or that of burglaries is directly related to young people’s problematic substance misuse, although a proportion might well be. However, we are appointing 2 drugs workers, using Board funding, to improve the level of service and work with young people who have problematic substance misuse issues. They will become part of the Drug and Alcohol Response Team (DART), a managed network of specialist drugs workers working with vulnerable young people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Priorities and targets here need to be reflected in the eight Crime Reduction Partnerships in Leicestershire and Rutland and local police Plans. It will be important to work closely with the Police in relation to any local initiatives to target these offences, particularly as Police targets are based on recorded crime rather than numbers of young people involved in such crime.

It needs emphasising, therefore, that whilst there is a relationship between the two sets of targets in terms of percentages, there is no easy direct correlation between them or respective performances although it is likely that any overall reduction in one will contribute to the other.

Proposed Ministerial Priorities for the police service for 2002/2003 have recently been published and clearly have implications for partnership working in relation to this Measure and other Measures in the Plan. They include the need to create safer communities through effective partnership working, including reducing the availability of Class A drugs. In addition, to reduce the fear of crime and in particular to increase confidence in policing amongst ethnic minority communities and those experiencing repeat victimisation and persistent anti social behaviour. A third priority is to increase the numbers and percentages of recorded crime for which offenders, particularly persistent offenders, are brought to justice.

North West Leicestershire District Council, in partnership with a number of other agencies including the YOS and the Leicestershire Youth Service, has won funding for a Positive Futures programme in the Greenhill area of Coalville starting in April 2002. The broad objectives are to use sport as a means of engaging with young people to reduce levels of offending and drug misuse and to increase participation in sport and positive leisure activities.

The Leicestershire Quality Protects Management Action Plan for 2002/03 sets out a number of proposals to reduce the level of offending as required under the new QP target but also to address the current increase in rates of offending by looked after children identified earlier in this section. In Rutland with a very small looked after population of only 8 young people and only 1 young person who received a conviction, it is difficult to set meaningful targets.

The Probation Service provide a number of offending programmes appropriate for 16/17 year olds including an alcohol impaired drivers course and a Focus on Violence programme to which referral can be made. The Service is also developing Enhanced Community Punishment, an accredited programme for Community Punishment Orders.

The Leicestershire Drug and Alcohol Action Team and the Rutland DAAT Young People’s Substance Misuse Plans are also relevant in relation to the work of the new drugs workers and the DART network.

Leicestershire will be eligible for the Children's Fund from April 2003 and initial work has commenced on a submission to the Children's Unit in order to claim the £1.1 million allocated to Leicestershire. One of the objectives of the Children’s Fund is to reduce levels of offending by 10-13 year olds and also to reduce the number of 8 -13 year olds who are the victims of crime. The YOS is represented on the Children's Fund sub group, part of the Leicestershire Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership.