Youth Crime Successfully Tackled By Tone Leisure and County Council Partnership

July 28, 2010 - PRLog -- A Devon initiative in which young people are encouraged to visit local leisure centres on Friday nights has been hailed as a success after new figures show a significant reduction in youth related crime across the district in the period since the project started.

The VIBE Youth Leisure Nights project is run by Tone Leisure – a social enterprise and charitable trust which operates leisure centres on behalf of South Hams District Council – in partnership with Devon County Council’s Youth Services. It operates in four of Tone’s leisure centres in the South Hams district of Devon and is an open access programme for young people aged between 11 and 19.

For an entrance fee of £2 they can take part in a host of sporting and social activities on a Friday night, which encourage them to spend their time positively and achieve healthy lifestyles. Activities include football, trampolining, swimming, gym, inflatable games, basketball, musical events and much more. There are also health workshops such as stopping smoking, sexual health, and drug and alcohol awareness.

The initiative, which began in 2006 after a successful pilot scheme in 2004, has been supported by police in the district who say Youth Leisure Nights are helping to keep young people off the streets and out of trouble. “Since the VIBE project began in 2006, the district’s youth crime statistics have, in the main, shown a reduction in the types of offences associated with large congregations of young people centred in the area’s market towns in the evening” commented PC Michael Elliott from Devon and Cornwall Police.

In one of the district’s main towns, Totnes, figures from November 2008–October 2009 show that criminal damage committed by people aged 16 and under has reduced by over 58% since 2005–6 and more recently, assaults committed by the same age group have reduced by 37% between 2007–8 and 2008–9.

In nearby Dartmouth, the 2005–6 and 2008–9 figures show a 50% drop in both the number of assaults and public order crimes committed by those aged 16 and under, whilst criminal damage caused by that age group has completely ceased, with no recorded incidents between November 2008 and October 2009.

In another of the district’s towns, Kingsbridge, assaults have fallen by over 44% since the 2005–6 figures, and public order offences by over a third. The town of Ivybridge has also posted impressive figures, with assaults having been reduced by 92% from 2005–6 to 2008–9, and criminal damage and public order offences diminishing by 74% and 75% respectively over the same period.  

“The Youth Leisure Nights are really well attended – we have up to 130 people along on some nights – and our staff are able to engage with the young people on a positive basis,” commented Joel Chapman, commercial director at Tone Leisure. “Our remit was to come up with programmes that reduce crime and antisocial behaviour whilst encouraging exercise and productive activity in young people. The feedback we’ve had from our attendees is that they appreciate having a cheap, accessible place to go where they can socialise with their friends and take part in a variety of activities without feeling preached at. The advice on issues like smoking, drugs and sexual health is there and many do make use of it, but the main driver is to help them spend their time productively. We’re delighted that the district’s crime figures show that the efforts of all the parties involved, including the young people themselves, are working. Tone is passionate about sports and leisure, and the many ways it can engage with people of all ages to improve their lives – this scheme is a reflection of that ethos working at its best.”

Commenting on the latest youth-related crime statistics, Jonathan Scott of Devon County Council’s Youth Service suggests that the new figures are significant but adds there are also other important measures of success for the VIBE project: “These new statistics are an important indicator of the success of the Youth Leisure Nights in the county.  Since our pilot scheme in 2004, young people from market towns and surrounding villages have benefited from things to do, places to go and people to talk to on Friday evenings, which has led to a positive impact on their communities and a reduction in incidents of anti-social behaviour.  Another significant measure of success is attendance – we’ve had more than 7,000 attendances in the last year at the four leisure centres offering the Friday night sessions. New friendships have been made amongst the young people, and new relationships built between them and the staff. Many have never come to any Youth Service activity before, so this is a major achievement. The Youth Leisure Nights scheme is an important gateway to the Youth Service and encourages healthy lifestyle choices and regular use of leisure centres throughout the rest of the week.”

The VIBE Youth Leisure Nights scheme run in conjunction with Devon County Council’s Youth Service is priced at £2 per session every Friday (except bank holidays) and runs from 7.30–10pm at the following four locations in the South Hams: Dartmouth Leisure Centre, Ivybridge Leisure Centre, Quayside Leisure Centre (Kingsbridge), and Totnes Pavilion and Totnes and District Swimming Pool.  The sessions are open to young people aged 13–19 (11–16 at Dartmouth Leisure Centre).

For more information visit www.toneleisure.com

-ENDS-

For more information please contact: Gill Vosper / Sarah Wedlake at Absolute PR on T.01392 680 740 gill@absoluteprandmarketing.com sarah@absoluteprandmarketing.com

Notes to editors:
o   Crime statistics source: Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Performance Analysis Unit for detected crimes on the crime recording system for the period 1/11/05 to 31/10/09 across Totnes (Totnes Town, Totnes East & Totnes West), Dartmouth (Dartmouth Town, Dartmouth Townstall & Rural), Kingsbridge (Kingsbridge Rural West & Kingsbridge Rural East), Ivybridge (Ivybridge Town, Ivybridge Rural South & Ivybridge Rural North).
o   Tone Leisure is a progressive leisure trust with charitable status, which operates and manages leisure facilities on behalf of local authorities. www.toneleisure.org.uk
o   As an organisation in receipt of the Social Enterprise Mark, Tone Leisure is recognised as a company working primarily for social and environmental aims and trading to benefit people and planet.
o   It is one of only a handful of leisure trusts to provide sports and health development services as well as facilities management.
o   Tone Leisure’s current facilities are:
– With South Hams District Council – Dartmouth Leisure Centre, Ivybridge Leisure Centre, Quayside Leisure Centre and Totnes Pavilion
– With Taunton Deane Borough Council – St James Street Swimming Pool, Blackbrook Pavilion, Taunton Pool, Taunton Tennis Club, Vivary Golf Course, Wellington Sports Centre, Wellsprings Leisure Centre
o   Tone Leisure Group Limited has been established as a holding company to enable separate trading subsidiaries. The initial subsidiary was Tone Leisure (Taunton Deane) Limited which was established in December 2003. The second subsidiary was Tone Leisure (South Hams) Limited, which was established in September 2006.
o   Tone Leisure operates with a group board of trustees and each subsidiary has its own local Board of Trustees to retain local control.
o   – Tone Leisure Group Limited Company Number: 5857912
– Tone Leisure (Taunton Deane) Ltd. Company No. 4983733 / Charity Commission No. 1110756
– Tone Leisure (South Hams) Ltd. Company No. 5944280 / Charity Commission No. 1119626

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