§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he intends to take to deal with car crimes committed by young people and other youth crime in Birmingham and the west midlands.
§ Mr. JackThe Government have encouraged the police and other agencies in the development of effective crime prevention programmes aimed at tackling youth crime and has funded a number of initiatives. The Home Office safer cities projects set up in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton in 1989 have all funded schemes aimed at diverting the young away from car crime and other types of crime. We have also established local drugs prevention teams in Birmingham and Wolverhampton with the aim of tackling the spread of misuse, particularly among the young. In addition the probation supervision grant scheme provides funding for nine projects in the West Midlands probation area which, in the main, provide programmes of supervision for young offenders. Three are based in Birmingham, one of which specifically tackles car crime.
The Department of Education announced last month that Coventry and Dudley are to receive £147,000, Solihull £99,000 and Wolverhampton £73,500 under its grants for education support and training (GEST) programme for youth crime prevention schemes in 1993–94. The Department of the Environment's city challenge programme in Wolverhampton is providing funding for activities for young people including a vehicle project to divert juveniles from car crime. In addition Birmingham propose to tackle youth crime, amongst other things, under the city challenge programme once their action plan has received approval.
As part of its programme of action on youth crime for 1993, Crime Concern is planning a series of regional seminars, including two in the midlands, on best practice in diverting young people from crime.
The Government are also considering what means might be needed to reduce offending by the small group of persistent juvenile offenders.