Projects developed by the Milton Keynes Community Safety Partnership which engage local communities to combat anti-social behaviour in the city were seen in action in mid-May by Home Office Minister Alan Campbell when he visited Milton Keynes. This is the fifth in a series of anti-social behaviour themed visits by Mr Campbell.
The Minister began the day at the Netherfield Estate Housing Office, where he listened to the story of a recent Premises Closure Order. These are designed to tackle serious and persistent anti-social behaviour (ASB), including excessive noise and rowdy behaviour related to frequent drunken parties. He also took the opportunity to congratulate Neighbourhood Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers on their work to help improve the lives of residents in the area.
Mr Campbell then travelled to Stantonbury Campus Comprehensive School to find out about the ‘Lost Youth’ project, set-up by ASB case workers in partnership with the school to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.
The Minister learned that the idea behind the project was to develop a teaching pack to introduce into the school curriculum, which would promote discussion points for young people around different aspects of ASB.
As part of this, pupils from Stantonbury Campus wrote film scripts and assisted film makers in producing a DVD to be used as a teaching aid. The ‘Lost Youth’ DVD is a collection of short films addressing issues such as arson, underage drinking and knife culture, and sparking debate on topics such as peer pressure, teenage vulnerability and adult perceptions of young people. The Minister was given the opportunity to see first-hand how it is being used in the classroom as he joined a discussion about the impact it is having on tackling anti-social behaviour in the area.
Mr Campbell also met ASB case workers, members of the Neighbourhood Action Group and representatives of the local business community as he toured some of the locations featured in the DVD films.
Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said: "I am determined to give people a louder voice about how anti-social behaviour is tackled in their communities, so we can continue to drive down crime and increase public confidence.
"I was delighted to learn about the success of the Lost Youth initiative in Milton Keynes and in particular the DVD. It is a good example of a multi-agency project which is having a real impact on tackling anti-social behaviour.
"It is encouraging to see how the Community Safety Partnership here in Milton Keynes has engaged local residents, schools and businesses in a common purpose. But I am not complacent. There is still much more to be done to tackle anti-social behaviour and, today, I will be meeting with the police and local authority to challenge and support them to do more to make communities across Milton Keynes safer."
Richard Solly, Community Safety Partnership Manager said: "It was really useful for us to meet the Minister and discuss our work in a national context. We are deeply committed to tackling anti-social behaviour in all its forms, and at times it has proved to be a very challenging task. It was good to hear that some of our achievements have been recognised and that we are not alone."
