Youth scrutiny update

Report: 5
Date: 6 November 2008
By: the Chief Executive

Summary

The report outlines the progress that has been made since the completion of the MPA Youth Scrutiny in June 2008. It provides an update on the work that the MPS have carried out in the four months and how the reports recommendations are in the process of being implemented or considered by the MPS and partner organisations.

A. Recommendation

That

1. Members note the content of the report; and

2. request a further update from the MPS, to be presented at the 12 February 2009 Communities Equalities and People Committee

B. Supporting information

1 The MPA youth scrutiny consultation (recently entitled ‘Seen and Heard – Young people, policing and crime’) was a timely venture. Its adoption at June 2008 Full Authority meeting coincided with the new Mayor’s announcement that youth crime was a key priority for his administration and the MPS identifying ‘Reducing Serious Violence and Protect Young People’ as a key corporate objective for 2008 – 2011.

2 Since its adoption by Full Authority, there have been a number of significant legislative and policy changes, which seek to address youth crime. It is important to note that whilst much of the current focus on youth crime is on the issue of serious youth violence, a great deal of what is being proposed considers both immediate actions to address this highly impactive issue but also outlines long term solutions.

3 In the last four months:

• the Home Office announced that anyone over the age of 16 caught in possession of a knife can expect to be prosecuted on the first offence;
• in recognition that addressing knife crime is the current number one priority for the MPS, a dedicated 75 strong Operation Blunt 2 taskforce was established to target those London boroughs, which are worst affected by knife crime;
• 1,214 people were arrested for possession of weapons and other knife related crime between May 19 2008 and June 20 2008;
• the Mayor of London announced £700,000 new funding for three youth projects which steer young people away from gun and knife crime;
• 10 police force areas, including London, are taking part in a knife sales crackdown which will involve young people working with the police to identify shopkeepers who illegally sell knives to children;
• the Home Office Youth Crime Action Plan was launched with substantial funding being provided to take forward the measures outlined in the plan including after school patrols, street based youth teams and family intervention projects;
• London Councils agreed to lead on a multi agency response to address Serious Youth Violence;
• The MPA developed, with its partners, a problem solving system (JPS/Jetpad) that examines crime and safety related issues at a borough level. As a Mayoral priority, performance on youth violence is also priority for the MPA and partners. Both London and borough-wide initiatives to tackle youth crime will be discussed as part of this process and good practice and potential new partnership work identified. The MPA are aiming to involve representatives from probation, the Crown Prosecution Service, Transport for London and possibly Youth Offending Teams; and finally,
• the Mayor announced that his youth strategy would outline how the GLA would look at and address issues of youth crime.

4 The MPA consultation ‘Seen and Heard’ is well positioned in regards to the above announcements and initiatives. The report has been well received by both the MPS and other partnership agencies. Whilst there have been some concerns expressed in regards to findings that pertain to statutory service providers such as Children’s Services, overall recommendations are considered to be feasible and useful in taking forward the youth crime agenda.

5 The MPA recognises that it may not be possible for it to measure the success of its consultation. In a crowded ballpark with a number of complementary initiatives and projects, the MPA will not be able to quantify how subsequent positive impacts on youth crime can be tracked back to the ‘Seen and Heard’ consultation findings. Far from considering this problematic, the MPA is pleased that the consultation findings were released at a time when there was a ground swell of comparable opinions and findings on how to address the needs of youth victims and address youth offending. The MPA feel that the findings provide valuable evidential support to the proposals outlined within the Home Office Youth Crime Action Plan; proposals currently being considered by London Councils for the development of a Serious Youth Violence Board and also support current and upcoming MPS responses to youth crime.

6 Whilst it is not possible to identify outcomes at this early stage, there have been a number of outputs as a result of the MPA findings:

• Key findings were highlighted in the BBC London news; The Times; BBC news online and Children and Young People Now magazine. There was also coverage in local borough newspapers.
• The MPS recommendations are to be included in the action plan of the MPS Youth Strategy.
• The Criminal Justice System recommendations have been included in the London Criminal Justice Board Youth Strategy
• Victim Support; IPCC and the Youth Justice Board have all responded to the recommendations that pertain to their work. They have welcomed the findings and have outlined current and upcoming work to address the advice offered to them.
• The findings have been tabled or will be tabled at borough Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership meetings.
• London strategic boards (London Community Safety Partnership; London Criminal Justice Board and the London Youth Crime Prevention Board) have all either endorsed the findings or indicated how they will incorporate the findings in their work programmes.
• All MPA-funded, borough-based CPEGs have been asked to indicate how they will ensure that community police engagement involves young people as a matter of course.
• All regional newspapers have been formally written to by the MPA asking them to respond to the findings that pertain to their work.
• All London Directors of Childrens Services and all Council Leads for Children Services have been formally written to by the MPA asking inviting them to comment on the findings and how they can contribute to change.
• A youth version of the report is currently in production. Copies of this will be sent to all the youth groups that took part in the work.

7 In early November 2008 the Mayoral youth strategy is to be launched. The Mayoral youth strategy has adopted a medium and long-term approach recognising that long-term change can only occur through effective prevention work. It is expected that the Mayoral youth strategy will focus on a number of key themes: keeping young people in education; supporting young people in custody for the first time; developing character and responsibility; supporting families and children and providing more sporting opportunities and positive activities. These emerging themes broadly mirror the MPA youth scrutiny and as such, the MPA will work with the MPS and the GLA to consider how the Mayoral proposals will add value to existing and planned MPS work.

8 One of the primary objectives of the MPA youth consultation was to inform the development of subsequent MPS youth strategy action plans. To ensure that the recommendations were beneficial for the MPS, the MPA made certain that MPS officers from a range of different ranks and directorates, were involved in the scrutiny process from its outset. The MPA youth scrutiny findings provided the MPS with a valuable evidential framework, supporting the direction of the travel that the MPS were and are taking to tackle youth crime and in particular serious youth violence. In addition, a key strength of the MPA work was the comprehensive consultation process, allowing MPS colleagues to hear directly from young people about their experiences as victims, witnesses and in some instances perpetrators of crime.

9 The MPS response to the MPA consultation findings have highlighted the variety of initiatives and approaches that the service has adopted to meet the needs of both young victims and young offenders. Whilst these are all welcomed by the MPA, it is clear that one of the biggest challenges facing the service is developing and retaining the confidence of young people. Young people are less likley to measure confidence ratings through the success of such initiatives as Operation Blunt 2 and are more likely to measure it through the day-to-day encounters that they have with front line officers. The success of proactive police and community encounters through programmes such as Kickz can be damaged when reactive encounters such as stop and search are perceived by young people as being unfair and unprofessional.

10 The MPA recognises that measuring quality of contact is difficult as it is often based on perceptions. It is clear that some young people regardless of the positive proactive work the MPS undertake will always view police officers as unfair; unjust and on occasion disproportionate. In recognising this difficulty, the MPA believe that by continuing to build on and develop proactive engagement opportunities end ensuring via training opportunities that police tactics are implemented appropriately and with due process, the MPS can and will begin to challenge these perceptions.

C. Race and equality impact

In taking forward the MPA recommendations that pertain to the MPS, the MPA will work with the MPS to ensure that differential outcomes are considered and monitored. The MPA will ensure that engagement with young people remains a core part of all future MPA consultation programmes and that where relevant and appropriate, particular consideration will be given to consulting with those groups of young people who are disproportionally impacted on by policing practice and policy.

D. Financial implications

There are no current financial implications.
 

E. Background papers

• Young people and the police, Coordination and Policing Committee, Report 10, 27 September 2007
• MPA Youth Scrutiny, Full Authority, Report 5, 29 May 2008
• MPA Youth Scrutiny, Full Authority, Report 6, 26 June 2008

F. Contact details

Report author(s): Hamera Asfa Davey, MPA

For information contact:

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

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