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Dateline: 19th January, 2003 Culture Cuts Crime! Organised sports and cultural activities for young people in some of the country’s most deprived areas last summer helped to reduce street crime and robbery, new figures show.In Avon and Somerset, the Lottery-funded programme Splash Extra saw street crime and robbery fall by 31 per cent in those parts which ran it, compared to an increase of 56 per cent where the scheme did not run. In South Yorkshire, this type of crime fell by 17 per cent where Splash Extra ran, compared to an increase of 62 per cent where it did not. Across all ten Summer Splash areas, there was an overall reduction in the crime rate of 5.2 per cent between July-September. Part of the cross-Government Street Crime Initiative, the Summer Splash Extra programme received £8.8 million of Lottery money from the New Opportunities Fund, and was delivered in both deprived neighbourhoods and city centres. It involved 91,000 young people in activities during the summer holidays, nearly double the number targeted. Around 2.5 million young person hours of activity were delivered, at a cost of around £2.60 per young person per hour. Welcoming the figures, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said, “Splash Extra is about getting young people off the sofas - and off the streets - and showing them that there are productive and enjoyable ways they can spend their time. “It is also about giving them experiences that many children in more wealthy areas take for granted. The young people’s appetite for this kind of positive experience is shown by the numbers that participated. “Summer Splash is clearly good for those who take part, but it is also good for those they live with , and the community they live within. “Our task now is to see how we can sustain and extend this approach.” Baroness Jill Pitkeathley, Chair of the New Opportunities Fund, said,“We are delighted that the Lottery money that we have committed to these schemes has provided young people with a chance to enjoy challenging activities, ranging from outdoor adventure to multi-media projects. “The Fund is committed to working with a range of partners to provide those most disadvantaged in society with opportunities to develop their skills, and improve their quality of life. “Splash Extra helps to raise young people’s aspirations and life chances, and promises to have long-term benefits for the whole community.” Lord Warner, Chairman of the Youth Justice Board said, "For the third year running, Splash schemes have proved themselves to be vital in the crime prevention agenda. Many areas with little provision for young people were transformed by the projects last summer with residents, police and the young people themselves seeing a real improvement in youth crime and anti-social behaviour. "The improvement in anti-social behaviour is based on reports presented to the YJB by Splash Extra Scheme Co-ordinators and Youth Offending Teams, and an electronic survey of Splash Extra participants. “If we show these young people a better alternative to crime and anti-social behaviour now, we should see a marked improvement for these high crime areas in the future as well as the youth justice system as a whole." With Lottery funding from the New Opportunities Fund, Splash Extra was delivered by the Youth Justice Board supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Arts Council of England (ACE). There were 296 schemes, which targeted children and young people aged 9-17 years old, identified as at risk of offending. The Splash Extra schemes ran in Avon and Somerset, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Metropolitan (London), Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Thames Valley, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire. Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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