Punkish behavior has been responding to a program in Flintshire, North Wales, U.K. It has a name that doesn't really fit on a t-shirt, but the Flintshire Anti-Social Behaviour Review Group works because it involves the kids.
Mike Ball is coordinator of the Holway Estate Neighbourhood Watch. In the first year of operation at the housing project, juvenile incidents went from 80 to 22 and overall anti-social incidents from 256 to 155. That includes everything from littering to domestic violence.
The program started under a grant of about $2.5 million for the 410 homes in the area.
Ball said, "It's the result of partnership between youth groups, residents and tenants, neighbourhood watch, police and council." In addition, cause and effect seem important. He added that "(w)hen you reported a crime, a police officer came and then if there is a followup visit it might have been another police officer who attended." Now a dedicated officer is available for continuity.
The program is seen as a model for other neighborhoods.
Note: The original source was the Liverpool Daily Post, September 3, 2006, page 16, which is not online.
No comments:
Post a Comment