Hampshire Police Authority - Crime Prevention Panel Item 6

23 May, 2002

Progress Reports

Report of the Consultant to the Panel

Since the last full meeting of the Crime Prevention Panel on 14 February, 2002 the following monitoring and evaluation reports have been received a summary of which is produced below.

1. EASTLEIGH YOUTH ACTION - GRANT OF £3,000 MADE ON 25 OCTOBER, 2001 FOR A YOUTH CONSULTATION INITIATIVE IN THE GREATER EASTLEIGH AREA

This grant was made by the Panel to Eastleigh Youth Action in order that a series of consultations could take place with young people on a number of estates within the Eastleigh Borough Council area including Bishopstoke and Netley Abbey. The events were to take the form of a travelling roadshow using different strategies. Strategies to attract young people including music which is an important part of youth culture.

Approximately 40 young people attended each event many of them staying all day and taking part in video interviewing which was seen as the most effective and interactive method of gaining young people's views about the areas in which they lived, the facilities available to them and their wishes for improvement. In addition a series of prompt cards were used consisting of a representational drawing of a particular subject ie a policeman or an elderly person in an effort to gain peoples views and perceptions of both the subject and the facilities available. Many views expressed were very mature and highlighted the perceived lack of police officers on the street together with a similar lack of facilities for young people such as meeting places and things to do at a reasonable cost. It was evident that these lack of facilities ensured that most young people spent their time hanging around outside the shops in groups or on the local green or recreation ground.

As a consultative exercise the experiment is regarded as a success and enjoyed by all those who took part especially the young people who were all well behaved. The work is ongoing.

2. STREET TALK (HEDGE END, WEST END AND BOTLEY) MOBILE DETACHED YOUTH WORKER PROJECT - GRANT OF £5,000 MADE ON 25 MAY, 2001 AS PART OF A COMPOSITE GRANT MADE TO THREE SIMILAR PROJECTS IN THE AREA

The portion of the grant used on the Hedge End, West End and Botley project has been used to refurbish the minibus including the inclusion of a street talk logo. In addition various pieces of sports equipment, portable tables and equipment for refreshments have been purchased and shortly a number of alterations are to be made to the inside of the vehicle to increase the amount of space.

The improvements made have increased its "credibility" to young people and is recognised locally as a valuable resource to engage proactively with young people. As a result of an information sharing process with the local police the deployment of the vehicle is now targeted to areas where young people congregate.

3. THE SOUTHAMPTON MULTI-AGENCY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FORUM - GRANT OF £2,000 MADE ON 25 OCTOBER, 2001 FOR AN AWARENESS AND DIRECTORY OF SERVICES INITIATIVE

This publication is at an advanced stage in its preparation and is now with the practitioners group of the forum for comment and amendment. It is hoped that its final design will soon be approved and it will go to print for distribution to the various interested agencies both in the statutory and voluntary sector.

4. THE STREET TALK CHANDLERS FORD MOBILE DETACHED YOUTH PROJECT - GRANT OF £4,000 MADE ON 25 MAY, 2001 FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO YOUTH FACILITIES INCLUDING LIGHTING AT HILTINGBURY RECREATION GROUND

Soon after this grant was made an opportunity arose whereby the Chandlers Ford and Hiltingbury Local Area Committee had the opportunity to pursue funding to redevelop the site which if successful would mean the relocation of the existing site for use by young people to the opposite end of the recreation ground.

If this application is successful new and improved facilities will be available enhanced by the money from the Crime Prevention Panel. Therefore the applicants are holding money pending a decision on the move the outcome of which will be known by April/May, 2002. If the new project does not go ahead then the existing site will be improved in accordance with the original application and in the meanwhile the money is held in their accounts ring fenced for the purpose for which it was granted.

5. HAMBLE YOUTH CLUB - GRANT OF £4,000 MADE ON 25 MAY, 2001 FOR THE REFURBISHMENT OF THE YOUTH CENTRE AND THE PROVISION OF IT FACILITIES

The work pursuant to this grant has now been completed with the youth club setting up an IT suite providing access to the internet and an additional facility to write CVs and job applications together with the facilities to complete homework. Other parts of the club have been redecorated and supplied with new furniture. A graffiti project will shortly commence changing the appearance of yet another room to make it more "young people friendly".

The improvements have enabled the Club to continue to attract large numbers of young people between 30 and 40 during the week and upto 80 on Friday evenings.

The improvements have enabled the Club to remain at the forefront of youth provision in the area and provide an essential meeting place for young people from Hamble, Bursledon and Hound.

6. THE STREET TALK, HAMBLE, BURSLEDON AND HOUND DETACHED YOUTH PROJECT - PART OF A COMPOSITE GRANT OF £4,000 MADE ON 24 MAY, 2001

The grant made by the Panel provided part of the running costs of the minibus together with visual improvement including the street talk logo. The project now operates four evenings per week in all three villages and although a fairly new project in the area effective relations have been developed with young people targeting their chosen meeting places.

7. THE HAYLING ISLAND YOUTH CAFÉ PROJECT - GRANT OF £3,500 MADE ON 26 MAY, 2001 FOR THE PROVISION OF A DROP-IN CAFÉ FOR 11-18 YEAR OLDS

The drop-in café opened just before Christmas 2001 as a pilot for its official opening in March, 2002. The café was an immediate success with about 20-30 young people in the ages 10-14 enjoying the games, music, pool and refreshments.

The need to make the place attractive proved expensive for the organisers and although it was not intended to run as a profitable venture it has been established there will be fixed overheads of approximately £110 per week and the organising committee are now actively seeking further funding to ensure that it runs beyond mid Summer 2002 when the existing funding runs out.

8. THE FERNHILL YOUTH ACTION GROUP (RUSHMOOR) - GRANT OF £2,500 MADE IN MAY, 2001 FOR ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

This grant was originally made by the Panel in order that an identified group of 15-17 year olds who were in conflict with the local police and local community could meet and engage in youth work at premises that have been identified in the area. Unfortunately this group are still unwilling to engage in this type of activity and are maintaining their original request to be able to gather as a group in a place of their choice. A further group of young people willing to meet in this establishment have been identified and it is hoped that in accordance with their wishes a small café style meeting place could be set up with basic equipment being provided from the grant monies. The original group of young people are proving very difficult to re-engage and the youth service are encouraging them to participate in an exciting and unusual programme of a stimulating and diversionary nature. This will include the young people accompanied by youth workers taking part in incentive group work lasting two days onboard the Prince William tall sailing ship and a group of young people accompanied by youth workers attending a peer led workshop session at Coldingley Young Offenders Institution or another similar establishment in Hampshire. These last two pieces of youthwork are new projects for the use of staff involved and after a period of planning and training it is hoped that the work will start later this year.

At this point in time no monies from the original grant have been spent due to the absence of key workers who are now back in post and progressing the matter.

I will keep the Panel updated on the progress of this initiative in due course.

9. HAMPSHIRE COUNTY YOUTH SERVICE - THE ALTON YOUTH PROJECT -GRANT OF £5,000 MADE IN JULY, 2000

The Alton Youth Project aims to offer young people a multi faceted facility with a wide range of opportunities for young people to develop personal social skills, encourage healthy lifestyles and be involved in the decision making process around that. The project is targeted at 13 and 19 year olds and in particular is designed to reduce anti-social behaviour and provide a place for young people to meet within the community. The project is now firmly established 4 nights a week with a support session on Tuesday afternoon and outreach work in the surrounding communities is used to make young people aware of the facilities on offer and to improve it to meet the needs of all young people. Over 2,000 young people have accessed the scheme which now has 5 part-time and one full-time youth worker and the young people themselves have played a great part in developing the facilities available to meet their specific needs.

10. THE STREET TALK, CHANDLERS FORD MOBILE DETACHED YOUTH PROJECT - PART OF A COMPOSITE GRANT OF £7,000 MADE IN MAY, 2001

After acquiring a more modern minibus the grant provided by the Panel enabled the vehicle to be equipped and marked as part of the street talk detached project.

The Street Talk vehicle is now a familiar and recognised site on the streets of Chandlers Ford providing mobile youth facilities targeted on sites, identified by the police, the council and the public where young people gather.

11. SHANKLIN SHOPWATCH ASSOCIATION - GRANT OF £2,370 MADE IN OCTOBER, 2000

This is the second report on the Shanklin Shopwatch it comes 12 months after the scheme was fully operational. Statistics at the end of the 12 month period show a 50% reduction in the levels of shoplifting and a sense of the reduction of the fear of crime has been noticeable amongst the members. The Isle of Wight Division of Hampshire Constabulary have purchased two additional radios from its funds which they now loan out to new potential members of the scheme in order that they may self assess facilities available before embarking upon the purchase of their own radio.

Consultant's note:

This practice for purchasing a small number of additional radios has proved successful in Shanklin and elsewhere. It allows potential members to assess the scheme before making the capital purchase of their own radio should they subsequently join. It also allows the police to equip either individual shops or categories of shops which intelligence suggests may become the victims of crime at any particular time and is useful in small businesses where there are lone female shop proprietors.

12. TADLEY AND DISTRICT YOUTH COUNCIL - PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL EQUIPMENT - GRANT OF £1,875 MADE ON 17 FEBRUARY, 2000 FOR THE PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL EQUIPMENT

The Panel will recall that this was one of the first grants made directly to a youth council for recreational equipment identified as desirable by young people themselves. In addition the grant was made for approximately 50% of the cost with no other funding currently then being available. The monies were held by the Police Authority on account subject to the rest of the funding being raised and this was duly done. I am pleased to inform the Panel that on Sunday 17^th February at Tadley Common the new facilities including an aerial runway were formally opened for use by young people. This represents a considerable success by the young people supported by Tadley Town Council and I know the promise of funding by the Police Authority made the raising of the additional funds achievable.

13. ROOKLEY PARISH COUNCIL, ISLE OF WIGHT - GRANT OF £4,000 FOR A SKATEBOARD/NETBALL PROJECT MADE IN MAY, 2001

The Panel were early funders of this project designed to provide recreational facilities for the young people of Rookley and area and although the facilities are not yet built a number of milestones have been reached, further fundraising and the identification of a site. As at 1^st February, 2002 approximately half of the £12,000 necessary to complete the project had been raised or promised and the site has been found within land leased to Rookley Village Association. Temporary planning permission has been granted for the facilities as well as the obtaining of professional estimates to build and prepare them and it is hoped that the remainder of the funding will be shortly forthcoming.

14. WICKHAM PARISH COUNCIL - GRANT OF £4,000 FOR A SKATE PARK MADE IN JULY, 2001

As at 1^st February, 2002 this project was yet to be completed but a great deal of time was spent with young people in the area discussing the type of skateboard facilities they would prefer. A supplier and groundworker have now been identified and an application has recently been made to Winchester City Council to release the remainder of the funding. This process is estimated to take approximately 1 week and on release of the funding the project will hopefully be installed and in use by young people within three months.

15. THE WECOCK FARM YMCA BUS PROJECT - GRANT OF £5,000 MADE IN FEBRUARY, 2001

The Panel will record that this grant was made to the YMCA to bring their well established youth bus to Wecock Farm near Waterlooville an area which over many years has suffered very real problems of deprivation, youth crime and juvenile nuisance. The funding awarded by the Panel represented approximately 15% of the costs of the overall project which commenced in April, 2001 following a successful pilot in the previous 18 months. The project began well with upto 28 young people using its facilities on each deployment and in the structured part of each session at the request of young people on drugs, sexuality, joy riding and arson were amongst the topics covered. In the second quarter of the project it ran into several difficulties in particular a locally known young offender and a colleague started to attend and cause considerable disruption and damage. The bus was vandalised, project workers were threatened, on three occasions physically and a project workers car was vandalised. A decision was made to temporarily withdraw the bus and pursue the project by detached youthwork until the issue of this individual and his friend could be resolved. After discussions with the police and the arrest of the offenders who are now in custody the bus has been put back on the estate and is the intention to make up the missed sessions with extra visits. Following the return of the bus it continues to be a great success and in addition to its standing contacts a number of new young people have joined.

There is no doubt that this project is a success fulfilling a very real need in an area of high need.



Consultant's Note:

This is a classic case of one individual or at least the small minority of people resulting in the withdrawal of a very important facility greatly enjoyed and used by a number of young people who otherwise would have nothing else purposeful to do. The problem was resolved for the time being at least by the prompt intervention and action of the police including the pursual of an anti-social behaviour order. It is pleasing to note that with determination on the part of the police and indeed the youth workers involved who were forced to endure physical assaults and damage to their property this initiative is now back up and running in an area of very high acknowledged need.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the report be noted.

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