Preventing Youth Crime

Outline and evaluate strategies used by criminal agencies to control youth crime.

An estimate number of 10 to 17 yr olds in UK in 1999 was 2704392 males and 2561681 females. These young people represent of the general population and are also often the group who elicit the most concern and discussion within local communities and the media. There is a big interest in the consistent crimes in this age group, resulted in a lot of research being made.

Therefore this essay will be establishing research done by various criminal agencies that help to prevent youth crime occurring and evaluating this research critically.

Preventing youth crime before it happens is the first and best way to protect society. The Youth Justice Strategy identifies prevention as one of its key objectives. This new approach to youth crime also acknowledges that the law is only one part of the solution ѕ some of the most effective responses to crime lie outside the criminal justice system.

Crime and disorder remains an important concern for our communities. We know this from our own experiences and our knowledge is backed by the 2000 Crime Survey, where just over 8 in 10 people identified crime as a serious problem.

And although disorder may not involve criminal behaviour, the Scottish Household Survey has consistently reported that around 30% of respondents think groups of young people hanging around to be a problem in their area. Over half of families living in council flats identified this as a problem.

Long-lasting strategies that address the causes of youth crime must involve a variety of individuals, organizations and governments in such areas as crime prevention, child welfare, mental health, education, social services and employment. The Strategy supports the involvement of a broad range of organizations that work with children. Families, communities and victims will also be more involved in addressing youth crime under the government's new strategy.

The Youth Justice Strategy is linked to the National Strategy on Community Safety and Crime Prevention. The Safer Communities Initiative, administered by the National Crime Prevention Centre, was launched in June 1998 as part of the National Strategy. This initiative is aimed at developing community-based responses to crime, with a particular emphasis on children and youth,

There are various criminal agencies which are operating to reduce youth crime and I have listed a few below.

The first criminal ageny would be the police. At present there are 43 police forces in England and Wales. They are maintained by local police authorities, whose objectives are set in consultation with the chief constables and local community, while the Government sets priorities for the police as a whole.

Each police force is headed by a chief constable (in London the Commissioner of the City of London Police, and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police) which is appointed by their police authorities, with government approval. Independent inspectors of constabulary report on the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces.

Secondly, The National Criminal Intelligence Service collects, analyses and evaluates criminal intelligence for use by police forces and other law enforcement agencies in the UK, which particularly look at organised crime. It liaises with the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), which promotes international co-operation between police forces, and EUROPOL.

The aims of the National Crime Squad are to prevent and detect organised and serious crime across the police force and national boundaries in England and Wales, and it supports provincial forces in their investigation of serious crime.

Another criminal agency is the Forensic Science Service provides scientific support to police forces through its six regional laboratories. It also operates the national DNA database in England and Wales, which is used to match DNA profiles taken from suspects to profiles from samples left at scenes of crime.

The Serious Fraud Office prosecutes cases of serious or complex fraud, with teams of lawyers, accountants, police officers and other specialists who conduct the investigations.

The Crown Prosecution Service is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who reports to the Attorney General.

Other prosecuting authorities include the Serious Fraud Office, the Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise Commissioners, local authorities, and trading standards departments, all of which will prosecute cases. Any Individual citizens can bring private prosecutions for most crimes, but some need the consent of the Attorney General; these cases may be taken over by the DPP.

An Independent Inspectorate (HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate) reports