YOUTH CRIME AND NDC

1. YOUTH CRIME AND NDC Key findings from Phase 1 of the National Evaluation Sue Adamson National Evaluation Crime Theme Team

2. The NDC Crime Context • Pre NDC crime levels above national average • Wide variety of interventions implemented • Recorded crime changes relative to the local authority area vary • Victimisation surveys show crime remained static or fell 2002-4 and generally reduced more than comparator areas • Absolute totals still above national equivalents • Fear of crime fell 2002-4 although absolute figures still above national levels • Fear of crime disproportionate to experience • Trust in and satisfaction with police improved relative to comparator areas

3. Youth Crime in the Programme • Youth Crime identified as an issue in 34 of the 39 Partnerships’ original delivery plans • Most recent delivery plans identify 9 outcomes of reducing youth crime and 15 of reducing hooliganism and ASB

4. Approaches to youth crime reduction • Offender based • YIP • ASBOs, ABCs, Dispersal Orders • Other • Diversionary activities • Drug abuse projects

5. Case Study 1 Bradford • Pre-NDC youth offending in area twice that in district as a whole • Most youth crime committed by small number prolific offenders • Holistic approach tackling youth crime at a number of different levels. Interventions include YIP, local variant of ISSP, Princes Trust and Home School Mediation • Crime reduced, particularly criminal damage • Reduction / cessation of offending in client groups

6. Case Study 2 Hackney • Pre-NDC 16% crime suspects aged 11-17 • Young people involved in theft, muggings, vehicle crime, prostitution and ASB • Diversionary projects intended to fill gap caused by lack of statutory youth service provision • Included youth clubs, outreach, sport and informal education • Evidence of reduction in crime committed by young people, particularly criminal damage • Indications of reduced offending in a small sample of resident young offenders

7. Outcomes • Youth inclusion/diversionary projects benefit 50,000 young people • No NDC wide figures on youth crime • Case study evidence of reductions in youth crime • Case study evidence of positive outcomes for young people in employment and education • NDC wide reduction of 2% in teenagers hanging around on the streets viewed as a serious problem • Evidence of relationship between youth crime reduction and decrease in teenagers hanging around and between reductions in teenagers hanging around and reductions in feeling unsafe for some NDCs

8. Successful youth crime strategies require • Strategic and Intervention Planning • Representation of the whole community • Effective Project Management • Partnership working • Managing Agency and Community expectations • Sustainability

9. Strategic and Intervention Planning • Community led nature of NDC has led to problems in lack of strategic planning in some partnerships • Need for tackling of youth crime problems to be based on accurate assessment of those problems • Need for baseline information and measurable targets • Need for clarity in identification of mechanisms by which objectives are to be achieved • Need for integration of planned youth crime interventions with activities of other agencies and other themes within NDC

10. Representation of the whole community • Community led nature of NDC has led to some difficulties in ownership of NDC youth crime prevention projects and dissent between factions in the community • Problem of engaging young people • Need to ensure that NDC is in tune with young people’s aspirations

11. Effective Project Management • Need sound operating processes to ensure best use of limited resources and reduce implementation failure • Effective project delivery depends on an appropriate balance of staff expertise and experience • It is important to minimise staff turnover in order to maintain relationships with the young people, build trust and maximise effectiveness • Monitoring and evaluation of projects is important

12. Partnership Working • Effective interventions in youth crime require a holistic cross theme approach underpinned by effective partnership working • In developing partnerships advantage may be taken of existing forums such as local CDRPs • Partnership with the community may be assisted by opportunities for their active involvement, for example in NDC specific forums. • Opportunities for employment of local people on projects can empower local communities and increase their support. • There may be particular difficulties in developing partnerships between statutory and voluntary sectors • Successful partnership for youth crime may provide benefits to other themes such as education and employment.

13. Managing Agency and Community Expectations • Feedback of progress in tackling crime problems is vital in ensuring the continued engagement of both the community and partner agencies • Agencies need to know about progress in order to judge the merits of continued funding • NDC residents may complain of lack of visible results, have unrealistic expectations – effort is required to communicate successes, explain delays and point to longer term impacts • Appropriate feedback can help combat cynicism, increase participation and build momentum

14. Sustainability • Youth crime prevention interventions are unlikely to have immediate results and should be sustained long enough for effects to be measured. • Early pressure to mainstream or short term funding on immature projects may prejudice results

15. Concluding remarks • NDC has provided the opportunity for the development of a variety of youth crime prevention schemes, many of which can point to evidence of success in reducing youth offending in their areas • There is some evidence that projects most likely to be able to demonstrate success are those with a strong professional input and an emphasis on inter-agency working. • In youth crime prevention, as in crime prevention generally, it is important to listen to the community but not always to accept its voice