Youth crime team earn praise for their work

Hampshire County Council’s Youth Offending Team was inspected by the HM Inspectorate of Probation.

Inspectors found the organisation was performing well in most areas.

Executive lead member for children’s services, Councillor Keith Mans, said: ‘Our ambition is to see far fewer children and young people involved in the criminal justice system in Hampshire.

‘This report clearly demonstrates our commitment to supporting young people to learn from their mistakes, and helping them to get on track for a better future, as well as the successes we are having.

‘We believe that all children and young people have the capacity to change, and should be given every opportunity to do so. We also take very seriously our responsibility to keep the public safe.’

The report was published following an inspection called a short quality screening.

It found that youth reoffending was down to 37.7 per cent in Hampshire, below the 38 per cent national average.