Halloween clampdown on antisocial behaviour

This Friday and Saturday night will see youth workers and police officers directly engaging with young people on the streets in a bid to stop incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour.

Action is taking place across 69 areas targeted by the Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP) and is one of the biggest coordinated operations of its kind on Halloween.

Feedback from police forces across the country repeatedly shows an increase in reported incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour over Halloween weekend when compared with the weekends either side.

The confiscation of alcohol from underage drinkers will also form an important part of the operation with police officers hoping to seize hundreds of bottles, including spirit-based alcopops and high strength lagers.

Young people at risk of becoming involved in crime are expected to be removed from the streets and taken to a place of safety where parents will be called to collect them under a programme called Operation Staysafe.

There will also be 850 positive activities taking place over Friday and Saturday in the 69 areas providing a safe environment for young people in neighbourhoods across the country. This will include sporting events, performance arts groups and dry discos.

Activities will include:

* police officers, youth workers, housing officers and community safety officers in Salford working alongside members of the community on voluntary community patrols;

* a side road being transformed in Nottingham into a 100m athletics track for young people to take part in races; and

* Operation Staysafe run in three areas of Liverpool known for having high levels of antisocial behaviour.

Policing and Crime Minister David Hanson MP said:

The vast majority of young people are sensible and law abiding and will be out enjoying the Halloween weekend without incident. However, there is always a minority who take things too far and this operation will seek those people out and stop them committing crime and antisocial behaviour so the majority can enjoy the seasonal fun.

We will not tolerate antisocial behaviour on our streets and will seek to stamp it out wherever it happens.

Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said:

Halloween can be great fun but I dont want anyone to be intimidated by high spirits which can sometimes get out of hand. Im really pleased that this weekend young people will have access to organised Halloween activities as part of the governments drive to give young people things to do and places to go to at the times they need them most.

The governments strategy Aiming High for Young People has invested 679 million to help areas deliver activities for young people all year round. Local areas now need to make sure young people are aware of all the exciting activities on offer to them, wherever they live.

Justice Minister Maria Eagle said:

Antisocial behaviour can have a devastating effect on communities and young people themselves.

Our approach is to seek to prevent young people from turning to crime in the first place, but make it clear that there are serious consequences for those that do offend.

We have made real progress in the last year but there is more to be done - this can only be achieved through tough enforcement, alongside positive activities for young people to help turn their lives around.

NOTES TO EDITOR

1. The Youth Crime Action Plan can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news/youth-crime-action-plan

2. There are opportunities for journalists to visit YCAP projects across the 69 areas to see its delivery first hand through the Home Office Press Office.

3. Interviews with young people who have benefited from YCAP can be organised through the Home Office Press Office.

4. Local Authority officials directly involved with on the ground delivery of YCAP, including youth workers, in the 69 areas are available for interview.

5. The 69 YCAP areas are:

North East: Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton on Tees and Sunderland.

North West: Blackburn and Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Halton, Knowsley, Lancashire, Liverpool, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, St Helens, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan and Wirral.

Yorkshire and Humberside: Barnsley, Bradford, Doncaster, Kingston upon Hull, Kirklees, Leeds, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, Rotherham, Sheffield and Wakefield.

East Midlands: Derby, Leicester and Nottingham.

West Midlands: Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Stoke on Trent and Walsall.

London: Camden, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Croydon, Greenwich and Barking and Dagenham.

South East: Brighton and Hove, Portsmouth, Slough and Southampton.

South West: Bournemouth, Bristol, Plymouth and Torbay.

The East: Peterborough and Southend-on-Sea.

6. This work builds on the recent success of the summer alcohol crackdown which saw 5,171 litres of drink confiscated from young people between July and September. It also follows on from the Home Secretarys recent commitment to drive down antisocial behaviour through better support for victims and tough action on ASBO breaches.

7. Planned activity falls under the YCAP, a cross-government 100 million programme designed to tackle youth crime through early intervention, support for troubled families and young people and tough enforcement where needed. As part of YCAP, 69 areas in England are receiving extra, intensive funding.

8. Much of the weekends activity will be delivered through YCAPs Operation Staysafe with 54 units on patrol; and Street Based Youth Teams which will see 96 teams deployed. The late opening of youth clubs will also support this action by diverting young people from the streets.

9. Operation Staysafe sees police forces and children services joining forces each weekend to patrol the streets and remove young people at risk of becoming involved in crime, whether as victim or perpetrator. They are taken to a place of safety where their parents or guardian are called to collect them.

10. Between July and September this year there have been 527 operations with 14,351 young people engaged and 2,081 referrals to other services across the 69 YCAP areas.

11. Street Based Youth Teams sees groups of specialist youth workers patrolling trouble spots to engage with hard to reach young people. Over the same period they have been deployed 4,425 times, engaged with 39,182 young people and referred 2,601 of them to other services.

12. For further information on Not In My Neighbourhood Week, which begins on Monday showcasing work going on around the country to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, please got to http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/nimnw2009.htm

13. For further information please contact David Langton at the Home Office on 020 7035 3835 or email david.langton@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk. You can also call our News Desk on 020 7035 3535.

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