Youth Justice minister visits Wiltshire Police to see how Force is tackling youth crime

Wednesday, 22 January 2025 06:00

Minister for Youth Justice Sir Nic Dakin visited Wiltshire Police last week to understand how the Force is supporting young people and preventing them from entering the criminal justice system.

Wiltshire Police is one of the first Forces to be visited by the Minister as Chief Constable Catherine Roper is the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Children and Young People.

Highlights of work the Force is doing in this area include:

Increases in Out of Court Resolutions for young people – these have gone from five issued in 2018 to 851 issued in 2024
The results of youth engagement efforts in Swindon show an 18.1% reduction in knife crime in the town, alongside a 25% decrease in serious violence and significant reductions in robbery
The average time high-risk children are missing has improved significantly – on average, missing children are now located in under 12 hours compared to 24 hours in 2023/24
Launching initiatives to engender the trust and confidence of children and young people – from football and climbing sessions to the launch of the Police Challenge Badge for Girl Guides and Scouts within Wiltshire Police.

Chief Constable Roper said: “I am deeply passionate about our drive to improve how policing serves children and young people so I was delighted to meet with the Minister to illustrate the work we are doing to support this.

“As the NPCC lead for Children and Young People, I am able to use such opportunities to share best practice and drive improvements across all police forces.

“All children should have the opportunity to fulfil their potential without their lives being blighted by crime whether as victims, offenders or living in communities impacted by the fear of crime.

“We were able to demonstrate to the Minister that our focus on collaboration with partners, fostering positive relationships with young people in our community and prioritising restorative interventions and outcomes is making real, positive change.

“We will continue to improve these relationships and develop our multi-agency approach to make a lasting contribution to our children and young people in Wiltshire.”