Fish and chips served up for troublesome youths in Tipton

It is part of a scheme which sees those aged between 11 and 16 carry out community projects such as painting fences, weeding gardens and removing graffiti to make up for low level crime such as vandalism.

When their work is done, the group is taken down a nearby chip shop in Tipton as part of the pilot project run by West Midlands Police.

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So far around 40 youngsters have been through the programme and the force claims the move helps cut re-offending as officers are able to talk to the the youths and get their to reflect on what they have done.

See also: Featherstone inmates to set up their own shop.

The project could be rolled out across the West Midlands after police chiefs highlighted the scheme as 'good practice'.

Pc John Tranter, who has helped led the scheme said: "If any kids cause anti-social behaviour in our area and the same names come up, I speak to their parents and say I want to steer them out of trouble.

"They all sign a form and I go and find jobs for them to do. They have two or three days with me and I can talk to them about where things are going wrong."

"On the last day, to finish things off, we go to the chip shop and then I take them back home. It's good for me as a neighbourhood bobby and it's good for my local kids."

Pc Tranter takes up to six youngsters for each set of sessions. One group helped paint a playground at St Paul's Primary School in Tipton two weeks ago.

Other projects have seen the children digging up allotments, weeding gardens and removing graffiti from a local park.

When one resident complained of youths throwing apples, Pc Tranter arranged for the perpetrators to clean around the nearby canals, much to the delight of the victim.

"They loved it," said Pc Tranter. "They called us and when they saw what we were doing and we told them why they were there and they thought it was a fantastic idea.

"I had my doubts at first, but I thought 'I'll try it' ? and actually the kids are really positive.

"Their heads are always down at the beginning because they know they've done wrong, but as the weeks progress they get a group mentality and start to enjoy what they're doing.

"By the time we get to the chip shop they're like new people."

West Midlands Police say out of around 40 youths who have completed the project, only one has gone on to re-offend.

Two 18-year-olds were also taken on earlier this year after being caught in the act scrawling graffiti in a park.

"The re-offending rate is pretty much zero and one of the lads I took on has even got on to a mechanics course, so it really seems to be working," said the police officer.

"It's a positive outcome for the kids and when the anti social behaviour stops, it's a good result for the community."