This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Youth crime and disorder
12/08/2002
Police forces have a key role to play in tacking youth
crime and disorder, Minister for Education and Young People
Cathy Jamieson said today.
Ms Jamieson and Deputy Justice Minister Richard Simpson
met with senior police officers to drive forward
implementation of the Executive's 10-Point Action Plan on
Youth Crime.
Among the issues discussed were:
- increasing police involvement in programmes to
tackle offending behaviour
- giving victims more involvement in the children's
hearing system
- strengthening police forces' participation in local
youth justice strategies
Ms Jamieson said:
"Youth crime is a major problem in our communities -
that is why the Executive takes it seriously and why we
recently unveiled our 10-Point Action Plan to quickly and
effectively address the issue.
"One of the key parts of the Action Plan is improving
the effectiveness of the youth justice system. Good
progress has been made but there is always room for
improvement. Those improvements are only possible if we
work closely with our partners, including the police."
Dr Simpson said:
"There are many examples of operational police
involvement in local youth justice teams and in programmes
for young people who offend or are at risk of offending. We
want to see this level of involvement in place across
Scotland.
"We will continue to work together with Scotland's
police forces - and others involved in the youth justice
process - to identify effective solutions to the problems
of youth crime and disorder."
Chief Superintendent Allan Shanks, President of the
Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS),
attended today's meeting and said:
"We welcome progress on this issue. Youth offending is
often the main topic of discussion at community meetings
attended by the police. Dealing with the problem requires
sufficient resources and a close working relationships
between the police and partners. There is no single
solution and we welcome the proposals to provide a range of
options to be available throughout Scotland"
The Executive launched its 10-Point Action Plan on Youth
Crime on 27 June 2002.
Other police officers present at the meeting were Chief
Superintendent Clive Murray and Superintendent Fred McManus
(both of ASPS) and Chief Constable David Strang, who leads
on youth justice issues for the Association of Chief Police
Officers in Scotland (ACPOS).