The future direction of youth crime prevention and youth justice in London

Report: 11
Date: 25 October 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report highlights the extent and symptoms of the rises in youth crime in London together with the implications for the MPS and partner agencies. It sets out the results of consultations between the MPS, Government and partner agencies on possible ways to address the problems and bring about a significant increase in well-focussed and effective youth provision. The Authority is asked to note the progress to date.

A. Recommendations

Members are invited to note the report.

B. Supporting information

1. Reliable statistics on the incidence of youth crime in London are not easily available due to the fact that even for reported crime, in most cases it is not known whether the offender was an adult or a juvenile. Whilst for notifiable offences as a whole, there is no clear evidence of an increase in youth offending, the trends in relation to street crime are clearer. Since 1998/99 the number of juveniles accused of street crime has risen each year (from 2007 in 1998/99 to 3439 in 2000/01). The proportion of all accused of street crime which are youths has also risen over the same period from 54% to 64%.

2. In 2000/01 there were approximately 50,600 street crimes reported, a rise of 18% on the previous year. Up to the end of July 2001 a further rise of 27% has taken place. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) estimate that young people under 18 are responsible for between half and three-quarters of these offences. Young people also represent about 30% of the victims.

3. Of those young people arrested for such offences about three-quarters are first time entrants to the criminal justice system. As such the ability of the MPS to intervene constructively in the lives of these young people prior to their offending is very limited. Basic research indicates that whilst the police do not know many of these juveniles prior to arrest, other agencies have already identified them as vulnerable to becoming involved in crime or as already involved in disturbed, disruptive or anti-social behaviour.

4. Research indicated by police in the boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth gives an indication of some of the underlying causes of this rise in criminality amongst the young. By gathering together information already available to the various partners, it is clear that a pattern exists of victimisation of young children, which leads to them becoming perpetrators of crime who then migrate into more serious, gang based criminality, victimising the next cohort of younger children who then go on to repeat the cycle.

5. It is clear that overall youth provision in London is not adequate to meet the needs of young people who are at risk from becoming involved in crime either as victims or offenders.

6. Over recent months consultations have taken place between the Commissioner, the Authority, Home Office, Youth Justice Board (YJB), the Association of London Government (ALG) and Government Office for London (GOL), resulting in an approach to Ministers. In consequence a new unit has been established within GOL to be known as the Youth and Crime Unit (YCU).

7. Initially the YCU will focus its attention on assisting the 10 most challenged boroughs* to adopt more effective youth crime prevention strategies. A seminar was held at New Scotland Yard in July 2001 for the chief executives of the 'top ten' local authorities. It was addressed by the Chair of the Authority, Toby Harris, the Rt. Hon. John Denham, Minister of State at the Home Office and the Commissioner. Its aim was to engage the commitment of the local authority chief executives and to inform them of the creation of the YCU.

8. The YCU has the following key aims:

• To identify gaps in existing provision in the top ten boroughs.
• To identify and disseminate best practice.
• To identify gaps in research knowledge and commission work to fill these gaps.
• To explore opportunities for enhance multi-agency information sharing to ensure available resources are focussed on the most vulnerable/criminally active juveniles.
• To identify potential funding steams which local authorities can apply to enhanced youth crime prevention work (e.g. Children's Fund, New Deal for Communities, Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Conexions etc) and assist boroughs in accessing those funds.
• To identify emerging policy issues for consideration by Government.
• To evaluate the success of the individual youth crime prevention initiatives/strategies.
• To engage with charitable/voluntary bodies and faith communities which may be able to assist locally or pan London.

9. Youth Crime Prevention strategies will aim to deliver an enhanced level of concerted and co-ordinated local multi-agency activity. This will tackle those young people who are already highly criminally active and invest in programmes that will break the cycle of youth offending and steer the next generation of potentially disaffected young people away from crime. Work is in hand to ensure that the emerging youth crime prevention strategies are fully integrated into the next cycle of Community Safety Strategies, which will come into effect in April 2002.

10. Commanders Shave (Territorial Policing) and Roberts (Director Operational Policy) will represent the MPS on the strategic board of the YCU. In parallel with the work of the unit, Commander Shave is now implementing an interim strategy for rationalising and co-ordinating existing youth crime prevention/diversion efforts across the "top ten" boroughs. In addition Commander Roberts is developing a medium to long term operating doctrine based on enhanced mechanisms for greatly enhanced multi-agency information sharing between the agencies and co-ordinated tasking. This work will enable a better pan London assessment of the overall resource requirements for the work. Ultimately, it will enable boroughs to engage in truly intelligence-led enhanced youth provision for the most vulnerable and criminally active juveniles managed and directed through the Youth Offending Teams.

* The "top ten" boroughs in relation to youth involvement in street crime are: Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark and Waltham Forest. Street crime is defined as theft from a person in the street by force or the threat of force. Southwark, Haringey, Hackney, Lambeth and Brent are also the five boroughs in which the bulk of Operation TRIDENT incidents have taken place

C Financial implications

There are no immediate financial implications for the work outlined in this paper. Quantification of the nature and extent of need for enhanced youth provision is one of the deliverables from the work in hand and will inform budgetary processes in future years.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Commander Roberts, MPS.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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