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Police teams target ghettoes to break cycle of re-offending
Justin Davenport, Crime Correspondent22.05.09
Scotland Yard is targeting crime ghettoes in London in a bid to stop re-offending. Police have identified areas with the highest concentrations of convicted criminals.
Released prisoners are targeted by specialist police teams working with probation officers and council officials. In return for signing pledges not to commit crime, they are given help with employment, accommodation, education and any drug or alcohol problems.
The scheme is modelled on New York's Million Dollar Blocks project, so-called because of tower blocks where so many residents are in jail they cost the state more than $1 million.
The London initiative, called Diamond Districts , was launched in January and police claim it is drastically reducing rates of re-offending. Projects are being run in wards in Newham, Lewisham, Lambeth, Croydon, Hackney and Southwark.
The Diamond teams focus on offenders who are sentenced to less than 12 months — the biggest group of prisoners but also the ones who do not benefit from training, numeracy or literacy classes while inside.
Statistics show that 74 per cent of people jailed for less than 12 months re-offend. On average 24,000 prisoners are released each year in London, 18,000 of them having served less than a year inside.
Participants only get access to help if they sign a pledge promising not to commit crimes or breach court orders. The scheme is voluntary but those who do not take part are warned they will be targeted by police Safer Neighbourhood Teams.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin said: “We are working with the type of offenders who make people's lives a misery but do not get any help. They just get locked up and released, they re-offend and get locked up again. We are trying to do something different to break the cycle of re-offending.”
Project director Martin Stevens said: “Some of the offenders cannot believe that police officers are knocking on doors wanting to help them. One officer was called on a day off by one individual who was drinking at a pub and worried he would re-offend. The officer drove in and took him home.”
Each police team includes a sergeant, six constables and two community support officers.
Reader views (11)
This Initative to vital and it is about time something was put into place for people being released without no support and most importantly no access to accommodation. Upon release from prison they are told to go to their local council, the council's deem them single homeless non priority, what are they expected to do they go back to ewhat they know.Regardless of how hard some not all work on them selves inside, to be left with nothing except what they know. Has the system letting them down? what makes things difficult is they have to wait six weeks for any form of benefit, is there any one out there that can live on nothing for six weeks i have had clients that have called me and stated that they did not even have a toilet roll. There is a fast track for people that are released this is a quote talen from a letter from tghe Department of Work and Pension. Having worked in this feild and having experience of it I have yet to see it. There is just one thing that jumps at me with regards to Diamond Initative if they do not sign up they will be targeted by the Safer Neibiour Hood Team, this I question.
A Darkwa
- Annys Darkwa, Surbiton
Your article missed out some important facts, the teams are made up of police,Probation and specialist local auth keyworkers. They work with offenders jailed for less than 12 months and people on community service orders. These people have not previously been subject of supervision. The previous re-offending rate for <12 months was 74%, the breach rate for unpaid work orders was 84%. The cost to Londoners to manage this issue was £180 Million each year !. One option is to keep paying this or perhaps build more & more prisons. However what is taking place here is an exciting new initiative where only approx £10 million has been put aside to manage these individuals. Although at an early stage re-offending rates/breach rates are minimal. This is a case of a small team made up of various partner agencies, trying to make an over complicated system work & by the looks of it they might have made a huge difference not only to the tax payer but to these offenders who without this initiative would have carried on offending.
- A Tax Payer, London
How to stop re offending in one easy lesson and its easy to implement.
MAKE PRISON SOMEWHERE THAT WHEN YOU GET RELEASED YOU NEVER, EVER WANT TO RETURN TO.
Simple, effective and guaranteed to work. Its not rocket science!
- Duncan Walker, Ex Peckham now Thailand
Ghetto's created by years of mass immigartion from African and other third world areas around the globe. Why does this government insist on importing crime into our nation, do we have not enough crime of our own?
- Brandon Thomas, SW7, London UK
What are they doing about the persistent offenders in parliament? My taxes are being pilfered by the most corrupt bunch of scoundrels in the land.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
"Police playing social workers yet again, concentrating on the poor little old criminals, instead of doing what they used to."
-P Staker, London
Despite what you say and I imagine that other people share your view, I believe this is exactly the kind of project that we need to implement because it is actually tackling one of the many root causes of re-offending.
It's all very well locking up criminals (and I do strongly advocate long,harsh sentences)BUT the big problem is stopping them re-offending when they come out.
Prison is a waste of time unless the criminal is de-incentivised upon his/her release to go back to a life of crime.
This Diamond Districts initiative will hopefully break the vicious cycle of poverty/lack of education > crime > prison > poverty etc.
- A.Non Pc, London,UK
What an absolute shame, no one here has got a clue. Innovative thinking is what is going on by the Police.
The idea is sound if you take away the need to commit crime you will lower the rate of offences. This wont get rid of all crime but it will get it a easier to manage level.
- Not Exactly A Looney Lefty!, The real world
Will Westminster be targeted !!!
- Nick Holland, glasgow
Ah the Communist Supporters Officers CSO. The plastic bobbies. That is the only police I have seen over the last 12 months. Shame they don't come out at night and do not catch any criminals...
Another bad Nu Labor wasted project!
- Steveo, London NW1
Surely they should also catch the criminals that blight where the actual TAXPAYERS live?! I'm tired of paying tax after tax and not seeing any police in central London!!
- Georgie, Islington, London
"Project director Martin Stevens said: “Some of the offenders cannot believe that police officers are knocking on doors wanting to help them"
Pity they can't be bothered to visit the homes of burglary victims.
Police playing social workers yet again, concentrating on the poor little old criminals, instead of doing what they used to.
- P Staker, LONDON
