New youth club launched to help keep young people off the street

A new youth club organised by Nottinghamshire Police to help keep young people off the street in a city suburb is already proving effective at deterring antisocial behaviour just weeks after it was launched.

The force’s youth outreach team, which works with children at risk of offending or exclusion from school, opened a youth club in Bilborough at the end of July after the area was identified as a hotspot for antisocial behaviour.

The club is attracting up to 50 children and teenagers each week with positive activities, gaming tournaments, sports, arts and crafts, refreshments, and music, whilst also acting as a proactive antisocial behaviour deterrent.

It takes place every Wednesday afternoon at the Birch Park Community Hub on Birchover Road between 4pm and 6pm during the school holidays, and between 5pm and 7pm from September 4.

Young people aged between eight and 17 are invited to attend the club, which is free and does not require registration.

The sessions, which will run until October 16, have been enabled by the Hotspot Response Fund for three 12-week programmes to address a lack of provision for young people, especially during the school holidays.

The district commander for City West, which includes Bilborough, has said he has already noticed a positive impact in deterring antisocial behaviour in the surrounding area after just three weeks.

The team, which is part of the force’s Prevention Hub, is expanding its outreach work across the city into areas identified as hotspots for serious youth violence and youth-related antisocial behaviour.

Areas identified by the force and its partners as having these issues are receiving increased uniformed patrols and diversionary activities to reduce offending and improve the area’s appeal.

Known as the Hotspot Response Fund, the patrols are part of a new initiative enabled by a £1.5m Home Office grant for more uniformed patrols across the city and county.

The scheme, which runs until 2025, is based on College of Policing academic studies that found short and frequent patrols are most effective at reducing crime, with officers and staff spending two hours in one area before moving on to another.

The club provides young people with a safe space to take part in positive activities and the opportunity to speak with specialist police staff about personal issues affecting them or concerns in their area.

Sessions also feature a guest visitor each week with a different activity, which includes the Nottingham Forest Community Trust, the RAF, Active Minds, Change Grow Live, and the crime scene investigation team.

Romel Davis, Nottinghamshire Police’s youth outreach coordinator, said: “We know that in areas where there is a lack of things for young people to do, they can gather in large groups and get involved in antisocial behaviour.

“We want to get young people off the street by offering them a suitable alternative.

“Providing young people with a positive place to go is vitally important for disrupting and deterring antisocial behaviour and enriching their lives.

“Educating young people through engaging clubs like this equips them with the life skills needed to make the right decision if they ever find themselves considering taking part in antisocial behaviour.”