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Sgt Andy Briers |
Youths on the streets at night are taken home by new patrol
Five youngsters are picked up on the first day of Operation Staysafe initiative
FIVE 13-year-old boys considered too young to be out alone were taken home to their parents on Friday night at the start of a swoop of “vulnerable youths” from the streets.
Operation “Staysafe”, the first of its kind in Islington, brought together a team of Islington Council youth workers, social workers and police to patrol areas of Islington where young people may be out by themselves.
It initially focused on the Caledonian Road area and Bemerton estate, which has become a magnet for youths who see it as a “neutral” territory unclaimed by gangs.
But once word got out that the patrol was around, eyewitnesses reported that the youths soon dispersed and the team moved on to other areas of the borough.
Any youngsters deemed in need of help – for example if they were found drinking underage or involved in anti-social behaviour – were taken home, or to the operation’s headquarters, the council’s offices in 22 Upper Street.
The Tribune was originally invited out on Friday night but Islington Police withdrew the offer because they did not know how the operation would turn out.
Islington Council’s crime chief Councillor Terry Stacy said: “This was a great success because we didn’t have to take lots of youngsters under the council’s wing.
“We had positive feedback from parents. Our focus for this is on helping young people, not rounding them up.”
He added: “We’re now looking at whether we might run similar operations in Islington in future. With police, we already do extensive work in the borough with young people and want to see if Operation Staysafe adds something extra.”
During Friday’s operation, which took place between 8pm and midnight, five 13-year-old boys were taken home because of concerns about their age and lack of evening supervision.
One of these boys was taken home but no one was there, so he was taken into the council’s designated “place of safety” centre in Upper Street and later picked up by his mother.
In total, 25 information packs giving details of local evening activities – from youth groups to sports clubs – were handed out to other youngsters.
The five boys who were taken home will be given follow-up support, from Islington Council staff and Islington Police’s Youth Engagement Team.
Police Sergeant Andy Briers, from Islington Police’s Youth Engagement Team, said: “We are concerned that there were some young people hanging around on the streets so late in the evening. We are now going to look at how deal with this by working with local youth providers.” |
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