Partnership key to stopping youth crime in Walsall
Partnership working has been identified as key to breaking the cycle of crime for youngsters as young as 10 who have been terrorising Walsall estates.
Councillors raised high profile incidents committed in Blakenall and Leamore in recent weeks as they discussed the annual Walsall Youth Justice Plan at a children’s services overview and scrutiny committee meeting.
And, at a meeting on Tuesday they were told it was vital strong partnership working was vital to get to the root of the issues.
Last week, it was revealed how a live pigeon had been ripped to pieces in front of shops in Blakenall, while other offences included racial abuse, eggs and rocks hurled at shops and criminal damage.
Earlier this month, shocking footage emerged of a gang of youths wreaking havoc in the KFC branch in Leamore.
Birchills Leamore ward councillor Tina Jukes said a 13-year-old also stole a car and crashed into a garden while other issues have seen catapults used against elderly folk. She added arrests of children have been made since.
The youth justice plan is aimed at stopping children committing crime or re-offending as well as cutting the number who end up in custody.
Committee members Councillor Amardeep Garcha and Councillor Jukes asked what intervention programmes would be used in cases such as these.
Councillor Garcha said: “We’ve seen the reports of what’s happening in Blakenall and also Leamore. I know children as young as 10 are committing quite serious crimes.
“How would you work with children as young as that where intervention might not necessarily be beneficial to them, especially where its a cycle where it runs within the family and is a badge of honour for them?”
Phil Rutherford, Walsall Council’s strategic lead for youth justice services, said they didn’t currently have any 10-year-olds in the programme.
He added: “There is a whole period of time before a child ends up within the youth justice service where there is opportunity to keep them out.
“What’s really important is to work together with people because one youth justice officer isn’t going to be able to make a difference.
“However, you need to work hand in hand with the early help team, the parenting team, potentially allocated social workers etc.
“The key word is partnership. You can’t have one person who is going to cover all those needs, you’ve got to work tightly and closely together.
“I know there has been a lot of partnership input into that area recently and certainly this needs to be completely joined up, otherwise we are going to see within my service a higher number of children and families come through.”
Councillor Jukes said: “You’re talking 13, 14 and 15-year-olds causing havoc on a housing estate to the point where they are doing things to staff at KFC, using catapults at old ladies and a 13-year-old stole a car and crashed it into a garden.
“These kids will have a criminal record which they don’t realise is going to affect them for the rest of their lives.
“What type of interventions will they have? I get residents who don’t want to live like that but I do feel sorry for the kids at the same time.”
Mr Rutherford added: “It absolutely depends on that child. Each intervention plan is bespoke to that child.
“It’s not necessarily about the offence that you see, it’s about the issues that have led to that offence occurring.
“So it might be that we need to work closely with our social care colleagues or early help colleagues and making sure plans are joined up.
“Within the youth service, we have specialist practitioners. We have a drug and alcohol worker, we’ve got a Cahms worker, education workers, probation officers and police.
“We have a range of professionals that can come together with that plan and understand what interventions are needed for that child.”
