Tessa Jowell hails success of Splash Extra Schemes where sport and the arts have contributed to a 5.2 per cent fall in local crime
Organised sports and cultural activities for young people in some of the country's most deprived areas last summer helped to reduce street crime and robbery, new figures show.
In Avon and Somerset, the Lottery-funded programme – Splash Extra – saw street crime and robbery fall by 31 per cent in those parts which ran it, compared to an increase of 56 per cent where the scheme did not run. In South Yorkshire, this type of crime fell by 17 per cent where Splash Extra ran, compared to an increase of 62 per cent where it did not. Across all ten Summer Splash areas, there was an overall reduction in the crime rate of 5.2 per cent between July-September.
Part of the cross-Government Street Crime Initiative, the Summer Splash Extra programme received £8.8 million of Lottery money from the New Opportunities Fund, and was delivered in both deprived neighbourhoods and city centres. It involved 91,000 young people in activities during the summer holidays, nearly double the number targeted. Around 2.5 million young person hours of activity were delivered, at a cost of around £2.60 per young person per hour.
Welcoming the figures, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said:
"Splash Extra is about getting young people off the sofas - and off the streets - and showing them that there are productive and enjoyable ways they can spend their time.
"It is also about giving them experiences that many children in more wealthy areas take for granted. The young people's appetite for this kind of positive experience is shown by the numbers that participated.
"Summer Splash is clearly good for those who take part, but it is also good for those they live with , and the community they live within.
"Our task now is to see how we can sustain and extend this approach."
Baroness Jill Pitkeathley, Chair of the New Opportunities Fund, said:
"We are delighted that the Lottery money that we have committed to these schemes has provided young people with a chance to enjoy challenging activities, ranging from outdoor adventure to multi-media projects.
"The Fund is committed to working with a range of partners to provide those most disadvantaged in society with opportunities to develop their skills, and improve their quality of life.
"Splash Extra helps to raise young people's aspirations and life chances, and promises to have long-term benefits for the whole community."
Lord Warner, Chairman of the Youth Justice Board said:
"For the third year running, Splash schemes have proved themselves to be vital in the crime prevention agenda. Many areas with little provision for young people were transformed by the projects last summer with residents, police and the young people themselves seeing a real improvement in youth crime and anti-social behaviour.
"If we show these young people a better alternative to crime and anti-social behaviour now, we should see a marked improvement for these high crime areas in the future as well as the youth justice system as a whole."
With Lottery funding from the New Opportunities Fund, Splash Extra was delivered by the Youth Justice Board supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Arts Council of England (ACE). There were 296 schemes, which targeted children and young people aged 9-17 years old, identified as at risk of offending.
Notes to Editors
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Splash has been running since summer 2000. For further details contact the Youth Justice Board on 020 7271 3076/3014.
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The New Opportunities Fund distributes National Lottery money to health, education and environment projects across the UK with a particular focus on disadvantage and improving quality of life. To date the New Opportunities Fund has committed over £1.3 billion in funding. The Fund supports sustainable projects that will:
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Improve the quality of life of people throughout the UK,
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Address the needs of those who are most disadvantaged in society,
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Encourage community participation,
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Complement relevant local and national strategies and programmes.
Funding for programmes is divided between England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the basis of population weighted to reflect levels of deprivation.
Further information about New Opportunities Fund can be accessed at www.nof.org.uk Press Office 020 7211 1888, email pressoffice@nof.org.uk Out of hours media line 07867 500572.
In August 2001 the New Opportunities Fund launched it's £38.75million Activities for Young People programme in England. This programme has allocated grants to a variety of summer activity partnerships in England which aim to open the doors of opportunity to school leavers. Partners in each of the 47 Connexions areas in England are delivering summer activities over the next three years. The funding supports a range of summer activities including outdoor adventure, arts, media, vocational training and volunteering; as well as providing careers guidance and help with CV writing and interview skills. Projects involve a combination of locally-based daytime activity and residential courses. The projects are known as uproject in England and Barclays have sponsored the development of a webpage at www.uproject.org.uk to share news and information across the community of participants.
In April 2002 the Fund announced £2.25million for the Activities for Young People programme in Northern Ireland. £3.25million was announced for programme activity in Wales in Sept 2002.
In Scotland, £35 million from the New Opportunities for PE & Sport programme has been ring-fenced for activity-based projects. This £35 million will fund Out of School Hours sporting and cultural activities for 5- 16 year olds, as well as activities designed specifically to divert young people away from anti-social behaviour or behaviour likely to lead to crime. This diversionary strand is known as Active Steps.
Building upon the success of previous Splash schemes, this year the Youth Justice Board worked with DCMS and the Arts Council to establish a broader and more consistent range of provision, including not only high quality sport, arts and personal development work, but also activities based around multi-media, the creative industries and libraries.
Previous research suggests that the crime reduction impact of Splash schemes persists long after they have finished.
The ten street crime areas are: Avon and Somerset, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Metropolitan (London), Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Thames Valley, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire.
Press Enquiries: 020 7211 6276\6272
Out of hours telephone pager no: 07699 751153
Public Enquiries: 020 7211 6200
Internet: http://www.culture.gov.uk
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