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Action plan puts Lambeth at heart of the solution

16/10/2008

Lambeth is leading the charge against young people’s involvement in serious violent crime

Action plan puts Lambeth at heart of the solution

Lambeth is leading the charge against young people’s involvement in serious violent crime, having become one of the first boroughs in the country to create a dedicated five-year action plan to target the issue.

The council, with our partners, have committed to investing an extra £2 million into youth services, plus a 'hotline' for parents concerned about their children, specialist outreach teams to work with hard-to-reach young people and plans for police officers in primary schools.

The Young and Safe Action Plan was drawn up as part of Lambeth First’s partnership activities because of rising concerns around young people getting involved in violent crime. The delivery of the plan is being led by the council and the Police and will shape the work we do to prevent young people from getting involved or becoming the victims of violent crime.

Cabinet approved the action plan on 28 July, following extensive consultation with police and the community and an investigation into the causes of violent youth crime conducted by a commission that we established last year. The consultation was carried out by Professor John Pitt, and included interviews with young people in and out of gang membership.

Some of the key proposals as part of the plan include:

increased investment of over £2 million in youth programmes
increased parenting classes and a possible 'hotline' for parents who are concerned about their children
a specialist outreach team to work with hard-to-reach young people
extended opening for youth centres, particularly at evenings and weekends
a new intelligence gathering unit with the police
a network of police officers to support primary schools
extension of Lambeth programmes, including X-it and PAYP, which have already been successful at keeping young people from getting back into crime
measures to help those not in training, education or employment to move into the workplace and get skills to set them up for life
The action plan outlines other ways we can improve opportunities for teenagers - from teaching them about the dangers of gangs, to providing more employment opportunities

Crime in Lambeth has fallen for six successive years but tackling violent crime remains a top issue. Over the past few years Lambeth has been seen as the heart of the problem so now we have to be the heart of the solution.

The Young and Safe action plan is different because we are not just introducing greater enforcement measures but looking at how we can make an impact on the causal factors – the things which make a young person get involved in crime.

We are committed to giving young people the opportunities to choose a different path and a more positive life for themselves.

To view the Young and Safe plan click here.

For more information about Young and Safe contact Shaila Mahomed on 0207 926 2709 or SMahomed@lambeth.gov.uk

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Children & Young People Strategic Partnership