Elected Member Briefing - Anti-Social Behaviour in Crieff

About this briefing note

Report by: Jacquie Pepper, Chief Officer, HSCP

Date: 7 October 2022

Subject: Multi-agency response to anti-social behaviour in Crieff

Responsible Officer: Linda Roberts, Service Manager Services for Children, Young People & Families

Publication

This Briefing Note has been published on the Council's website following circulation to Councillors. Its contents may be disclosed or shared outwith the Council.

Details

Purpose

This Briefing Note is being issued in response to a question asked by Councillor Peter Barrett at the meeting of Perth and Kinross Council on 28 September asking for an update on the multi-agency response to anti-social behaviour in Crieff.

Briefing information

Through a partnership approach between schools, community safety, services for young people, social work and local youth work providers, the focussed work was carried out under the following headings:

Universal Youth work provision

This approach ensured young people from the area needing support were able to participate within universal youth work provision in a variety of settings.

LOGOS  - the youth work provider for the area - supported street sports on a Friday evening which was attended by Tayside Police and their police volunteers, St Johnstone in the Community and services for young people. Alongside this community provision LOGOS provided some outreach support and activities from their building.

To deal with equalities at feeder primaries work has been undertaken through programmes such as Nil By Mouth, Show Racism the Red Card and Rights Respecting Schools Awards.

Targeted Provision

Through the partnership approach/Crieff Strategy Group- Police, Schools Services for Young People, Social Work, Community Safety and chaired by Children, Young People and Families Improvement Officer- intelligence was shared to identify those at most risk to themselves or others.

Groupwork was developed and interventions delivered to identified young people from Services for Young People. These were supported by the school, Hillcrest futures and LOGOS.

Activities included Willowgate outdoor activities at Lochearn, Comrie Croft, Howell Cycling and art workshops. This support reduced the numbers of serious and violent crimes reported and helped some of the group to engage with other opportunities such as employment support.

Further enhancing this work, both wardens and Services for Young People carried out detached youth work on Friday and Saturday evenings in areas that were known to be frequented by the young people. This engagement and educational approach prevented any enforcement interventions.

Targeted work is still being carried out and the youth network of opportunities extended to include other providers such as Crieff Junior Football club and the Strathearn Rugby club.

Disruption

The Safer Communities Team co-ordinated the approach to disruption by identifying people involved in selling drugs to young people and other criminal activity and passing intelligence to the police.

Police developed an intelligence requirement which was serviced by all the relevant partners. Consequently, houses were searched and people were arrested and charged.

The Safer Communities Team chaired a multi-agency group to ensure information sharing was timely and effective and the activities of all agencies, in all the different strands, was effectively co-ordinated.