Youth offending

Report: 10
Date: 12 July 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides an update on the MPS's performance for the beginning of the financial year 2001/02 with regards to the corporate targets and objectives on youth offending. It compares recent months with the same period last year, identifying trends and disparities. This report summarises actions and proposals that are resolving youth data problems highlighted previously.

A. Recommendation

That Committee members note the contents of this report.

B. Supporting information

1. There are two principal objectives outlined in the Policing Plan for 2001/02 with regard to tackling youth offending: to work with partners to reduce the proportion of youths who offend for a second time and to process young offenders quickly. These objectives incorporate five Policing Plan targets and two best value performance indicators, which are detailed below. This report compares current MPS performance with last year and identifies those boroughs achieving the targets.

To process persistent young offenders quickly

2. Persistent Young Offenders (PYO) should be dealt with within 2 days from arrest to charge and given their first court listing within 7 days of the charge in at least 70 per cent of the cases.

3. Performance against the PYO processing targets is monitored through the computerised Crime Report Information System (CRIS) system. Where an offender is identified by an officer as a PYO, then the processing time is calculated and reported against the target. There are some limitations with this system, which rely on an officer correctly identifying that the juvenile they are dealing with meets the PYO criteria. Compliance with the processes for identifying and flagging PYO, and for inputting processing dates on CRIS has been the focus of management attention, and has seen some improvement over the last twelve months. The number of cases where the accused is identified as a PYO has risen from 170 per month in April/May last year to 203 in the same period this year.

4. In recognition of the compliance issues affecting PYOs throughout the criminal justice system, the MPS has initiated improvements in inter-agency working. A new governance structure has been established involving the MPS (represented by AC Ghaffur) with the Chief Executive of the Greater London Magistrates Courts Authority, the Chief Crown Prosecutor and the Chief Administrator for the Crown Courts. This group has drawn up new protocols for dealing with PYOs, aimed at ensuring their identification, monitoring and speedy progress through the criminal justice system. The impacts of this work should be seen over the coming months.

5. Given the known constraints on data collection, the performance against PYO targets has shown improvement in recent months. In 2000/01 the targets were not achieved, with an end of year performance of 52.9 per cent dealt with in time from arrest to charge and 64.3 per cent charge to court. However in April and May 2001 arrest to charge has been achieved in 2 days in 68.7 per cent of cases, compared with 51 per cent in April-May last year. Charge to first court listing has been achieved within 7 days in 70.0 per cent of cases this year, compared with 57.5 per cent in the same period last year.

6. The monthly trends for 2000/01 are charted in tables 1 and 2 (see Supporting material). From the recent months it is possible to infer that if performance continues at this rate, both PYO targets will be achieved.

7. Recently released figures for the first quarter of 2001 (Jan-March) show that for the country as a whole there has been an improved performance against the PYO processing target – reducing the average delay from 92 to 88 days. For the MPS (including the City of London) we have improved by one day, from 108 last quarter to 107 this quarter. The figure of 107 is an average over the three-month period but conceals significant progress in March. The monthly figures for the MPS are: January 109 days, February 109 days, March 103 days.

To process all young offenders quickly

8. Target: To process all young offenders within 28 days from arrest to case disposal in more than 80 per cent of the cases.

9. In the new financial year 2001/02, the MPS continues to exceed both the target (80 per cent) and the previous year's performance (80.8 per cent). April and May 2001 have collectively achieved to process 84.8 per cent offenders in 28 days, which is a significant increase (7.4 per cent) on that achieved in April and May 2000 (77.4 per cent). Over 84 per cent of the 32 boroughs have achieved and/or exceeded this target, 10 of which have recorded over 90 per cent. Bexley (95.5 per cent) and Sutton (94.7 per cent). Table 3 (see Supporting material) contains these details. For a full borough breakdown see Appendix 1.

10. Target four: To notify PNC of all young offenders' case results within 10 days, in more than 80 per cent of the cases.

11. This target has been amended since 2000/01, when the process time was 14 days. Last year the MPS notified PNC with 68.5 per cent of youth cases within 14 days, but against this year's more stringent target April and May 2001 has displayed a marked improvement, whereby 63.3 per cent have been notified in 10 days.

12. The borough of Islington has recorded the highest percentage of cases (97 per cent) notified within the target 10 days between April and May 2001. However four other boroughs have recorded over 80 per cent: Newham (82 per cent), Hackney (85.7 per cent), Camden (85.9 per cent) and Richmond (87.1 per cent). For a full borough breakdown see Appendix 1.

13. Target: To work with partners to reduce the proportion of youths who offend for a second time.

14. This is a new corporate target that has been introduced this year in response to the growing concern with repeat youth offending. Two new codes, which have been integrated into the CRIS, will identify first time and second time young offenders. These experimental measures will be used to evaluate the volume of first, second and subsequently repeat offenders. The objective is to provide a more robust means of monitoring recidivism. The codes will assist in assessing whether youth diversion tactics have been successful in deterring and/or diverting youths away from committing further crimes. Data will be available in the coming months and the findings will be evaluated before a corporate target is set.

15. To ensure data integrity and provide a more elaborate picture, a dip sample will be carried out by the Criminal Youth Justice Department. The sample will be as extensive as time permits and this study will be undertaken each month. A youth's PNC file will be cross-matched with this record and a two-year evaluation of previous and pending convictions will be carried out. The intention is to have a representative sample of those who re-offend for a second time and those who continue to commit further crimes.

Best Value indicators

16. Accompanying the targets above are two Home Office measures, which monitor the processing of youth case files: Percentage of all full youth files provided to the CPS both with pre-trial issue time guidelines and which are fully satisfactory or sufficient to proceed, and percentage of all expedited/remand youth files provided to the CPS which are fully satisfactory or sufficient to proceed.

17. Last year the MPS provided 72.9 per cent of the full case files and 99 per cent of the expedited/remand files in line with the indicator. April 2001 has recorded that 66.2 per cent of the full files and 99.7 per cent of the expedited/remand files sent to the CPS satisfy the indicators. These figures may alter if a borough decides to update figure. Since this data is collated and sent to the HMIC on a quarterly basis boroughs do not always provide the end figures until the end of the quarter.

MPS Initiatives and Youth Offending Tactics

18. The last PSPM received a detailed report on diversion and support initiatives for youth offending. One additional scheme is a long-term project 'Connections', which is a national government scheme to divert youths away from criminal offending. It is a multi-agency operation chaired by the education authority in partnership with other local council groups and the Youth Offending Teams. It is currently being piloted on six MPS boroughs along with a number of other counties. A number of community members with experience of dealing with young people will be employed by the local borough council to act as youth mentors. The mentors will be based predominantly in the local schools, where all the children will be able to have access to them. They will work alongside welfare and career officers, offering youths advice, support and implementing tactics to deter criminal offending. It is intended that after these pilots, each borough will be given a number of mentors.

Restorative Justice

19. On 1 July 2001 a new restorative justice approach to dealing with first time offenders is to be implemented on the majority of MPS boroughs. All youths on course to receive a police warning will now be bailed awaiting a restorative conference. At the conference the youth is confronted by the victims of their crimes in the presence of either a YOTs member or a trained borough officer. This initiative is aimed at deterring a youth from committing future crimes.

Case disposal

20. There has been a total of 5,454 youths accused of a criminal offence across 32 boroughs between April and May 2001. This accounts for 27 per cent of the total people accused during this period, which is an increase from the end of year percentage 2000/01 where youths aged between 10-17yrs accounted for 24.6 per cent of the total accused. Table 4 (see Supporting material) identifies the case disposals of the youths accused in April and May 2001. In comparison to last year's disposal figures, youths charged appears to be slightly higher in these recent months.

Conclusion

21. The MPS performance in attaining the governments and policing plan targets has shown improvement in recent months from the same period last year. Constraints on the accuracy of information about processing PYOs have been noted, and work is in hand within the MPS and with other agencies to address these issues. New codes introduced in 2001/02 have created a more elaborate system of monitoring the volume of young offenders and the number of repeat offenders. This new measure will enable the MPS to discern the impact of diversion and support tactics by measuring the levels of recidivism. There are still contentious issues around the numbers and processing of persistent young offenders, but these problems have been recognised by the MPS and steps are being taken to resolve the conflict.

C. Financial implications

None.

D. Background papers

None.

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Karen Turner, Analyst, MPS Corporate Development Group.

For information contact:

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

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