Local charity Norfolk PACT (Partners Against Crime Taskforce) took their “No Crime – Get a Life!” project into Costessey High School yesterday. Six statutory and charitable agencies working within the criminal justice system spent the day delivering a series of workshops to year 8 pupils (aged 12-13 years) on how the criminal justice system works, how it affects young people, why and how they should avoid getting on the wrong side of the law and, importantly, how to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. Crime records show that in the last 12 months in the Costessey area, 47% of the incidents of violence against a person were committed against young people – that is, people aged 19 and under. The chances are that the true figure is somewhat higher. “Young people often do not like to admit they have been a victim of crime, are sometimes fearful of reporting crimes and feel that they cannot talk about what has happened to them” says Kara Shingleton, Victim Support Norfolk’s Development Officer for Young People's Services. “We want young people to know that there is help out there and that they don’t need to suffer alone. We also need to tackle the fabrication which is often presented in the media that all young people are yobs.” A current pupil at Costessey High School who was assaulted outside school last year fully supports the No Crime project. “After reporting the assault, the next day at school I was scared every time I saw the offender or his friends as they still live in the community,” he said. “The whole experience was frightening - not just the assault, but having to deal with the police and the courts even as a victim. Me and my family, we’d never really had anything to do with the police before. I was concerned the situation would become worse. I have learned not to retaliate which could make the situation worse. The Police have kept me informed and I have had contact with Victim Support and the Youth Offending team. I think No Crime – Get a Life! is a great idea. People will learn who to go to for help, and about how the whole criminal justice process works so it will be less intimidating if something does happen to them as they will know what to expect” he added. Fear of crime amongst young people is lower than one might expect, given the statistics. Young people are frequently unaware that they are represented in this way in the crime statistics, and that they should take more care to avoid falling victim. There are a few simple measures young people can take to reduce the risk of becoming victims of crime. These include walking around in a group instead of alone, keeping to well lit areas and avoiding unsafe areas such as dark alleys, and trying not to flash mobile phones, MP3 players and other gadgets while out and about.
For more information about Victim Support contact Kara Shingleton on 01603 619376 or visit www.victimsupport.org.uk. For more information about Norfolk PACT’s “No Crime – Get a Life!” project contact Laurence Wild on 01953 424727
Home
