Scottish gang scheme cuts offending in half

AN experimental Scottish project in which police refer young gang members directly for intensive support from a local charity has achieved dramatic results by cutting offending in half.

An evaluation report on the work carried out by Includem on behalf of Strathclyde Police showed young people who completed the programme were charged with 47% fewer offences in the six months after leaving the scheme.

Includem also claims big potential savings from the initiative, which costs an estimated £6656 per year per young offender. Most of the teenagers involved would otherwise have been likely to end up in secure care, or in prison, where the cost of a place has been estimated at £40,000 a year.

The report comes just days after Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to use work carried out by Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit to tackle gang crime as a blueprint to prevent a repeat of the riots that caused devastation in several English cities.

The report focused on work involving 23 teenagers embedded in Glasgow’s gang culture who were responsible for a range of serious and often violent crimes, including possession of an offensive weapon, drug possession, police assault, vandalism and forming part of a disorderly crowd.

The 22 boys and one girl, who were between the ages of 14 and 18, worked with the charity over 15 months as part of a two-year pilot scheme funded by the Scottish Government and the Robertson Trust, at a total cost of £200,000.

All the young people involved reduced both the frequency and the severity of their law-breaking. There were also significant improvements in other aspects of their lives, including a reduction in the use of drugs and alcohol for 60% of the group, while 80% increased their involvement in education or training.

Angela Morgan, chief executive of Includem, said the report showed what could be done to help people on the margins of society and drew direct parallels with teenage offenders caught up in the riots in London and other cities.

She said: “When you look at the backgrounds of young people we work with they have not had good experiences of what adults are, have not learned the most basic things such as how and when you eat and how to brush your teeth. They have not been encouraged to go to school.

“This is not an excuse. We are very challenging to young people. But we show them how it can be different and give them that bridge.”

The programme is voluntary, yet offenders referred to it attend 80% of all appointments, the report shows. Teenage gang members have also encouraged others in their gang to attend, Ms Morgan said.

The scheme also appears to have won the confidence of those responsible for enforcing the law. In five cases, sheriffs have decided against sending people to prison as a result of involvement with the gangs pilot.

Ms Morgan added: “In terms of saving money and putting young people on a path to better outcomes, we’ve achieved a lot in a relatively short space of time.”

Strathclyde Police’s Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV), which was launched by the Violence Reduction Unit, identifies young people who cannot be reached by any other means and sends them to the gangs pilot run by Includem, which specialises in supporting some of Scotland’s most vulnerable and high-risk people.

Chief Inspector Robert Stevenson, of Strathclyde Police, said the charity’s involvement was a vital part of the force’s work to tackle gang violence.

He said: “I see them as being fundamental to the success of what it is we are trying to do. The teenagers they work with are the extremely violent offenders of tomorrow.

“Includem’s intensive support service is a crucial part of CIRV’s future strategy.”

Organisers now intend to roll out the CIRV initiative – which has so far focused on the north and east of Glasgow.

Following funding from the Scottish Government the project has now been taken in-house by Strathclyde Police, which is working closely with Glasgow City Council.

However, Mr Stevenson is ambitious to do more, adding: “We need to work with 2000 people over a sustained period. If we stop this work now, within a few months we will be back where we were in terms of gang violence. Enforcement alone is not the answer.”

A council spokesman said: “We welcome the difference CIRV is making and we are continuing to support it.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Government added: “The CIRV is making great progress.

“The intention was for CIRV to be a sustainable venture and to be rolled out city-wide by Strathclyde Police in conjunction with partners in justice, government, community safety services, housing, education, social work, health and the community if found to be successful.

“CIRV will continue under the leadership of Strathclyde Police and these partners. The VRU itself is funded by the Scottish Government.”