VIP visit as youth crime falls

Head of Youth Justice Board: John Drew

Hull has again attracted national attention for the right reasons – this time thanks to a huge fall in youth crime.
Keen to learn of the positive work being undertaken in the city, John Drew, the head of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) visited recently to meet members of Hull Youth Offending Team.
YJB oversees the youth justice system and seeks to find ways of preventing offending and reoffending by young people up to the age of 18, and deal with the causes of their offending.
Hull has seen a 26 per cent fall in reoffending rates since 2005 and the number of first time offenders entering the youth justice system has been reduced by 18 per cent over the period.
"I congratulate Hull's Youth Offending Team on its success," Mr Drew said. "Its work is crucial in making Hull a safer place to live."
The team is made up of representatives including Humberside Police, the Probation Service, NHS Hull, and Hull City Council staff from education, social services, and housing.
One of reasons for the fall has been a system called restorative justice, where young people are made to face up to the consequences of their behaviour by meeting their victims and apologising for their wrongdoings.
The system is also being used by local policing teams and in some children's homes, foster homes, and schools to improve discipline.
"We were delighted to welcome Mr Drew to the city," said Nick Metcalfe, the operations manager for the Youth Offending Team.
"He regards Hull as a model of good practice and we told him that we hope to achieve further reductions in youth crime over the next 12 months."