The police in Burnley recorded an increase in criminal damage offences in 2006. Young people were involved in 40 per cent of incidents. The police decided to work with young people to find the causes and possible solutions. They commissioned The Participation Works Ltd, a local community organisation, to ask young people about their concerns. Young people said there was nothing to do in the area, and that boredom led them to hanging around in groups and start drinking. Criminal damage was a way of getting an extra buzz.
Young people felt their views were ignored. Young people wanted a safe place to chat with their friends – a place that was theirs. They wanted to be involved in setting up the safe place and influencing its development. Most young people (86 per cent) wanted internet access.
The response was the youth bus. The MAPS team manages the bus in a partnership with The Participation Works Ltd, who also staff it. The lower deck has games consoles and a chill-out area with a wide-screen TV. The upper deck has PCs with internet access and a private consultation room. Training packages are available for young people to develop their IT skills, and youth workers encourage young people to get involved in structured activities. The council’s sport and play development team also go out with the bus three nights a week to provide sporting activities for young people.
The MAPS team sends the bus to hot spot areas. It can move around estates in Burnley so each area gets a weekly visit, or it can stay in a hot spot area for several weeks. It runs from 4.30pm-10.30pm Tuesday to Sunday. Set up costs were £140,000. Annual running costs are £8 for each young person. Over a five-month period in 2007 the bus provided services to 2,862 young people:
- 438 received support in information and communication technology
- 304 were referred on to other youth services
The bus has made an impact:
- criminal damage reduced by 321 offences and anti-social behaviour reduced by 687 incidents in comparison with the previous year
- Asian and white young people who were in conflict now use the facilities together
- feedback in the local press and from local communities is positive