The county council's ploughing in upto £3 million of funding to help make Staffordshire safer.

Youth Worker Kate Martin is pictured with PCSO Robert Peacock working together in Leek.

The money is paying for 38 new police community support officers (PCSOs) and sixteen detached youth workers in a joint venture between the council and Staffordshire Police. Some have already been recruited and have hit the streets.

They'll work together across the county to help tackle a range of issues including anti social behaviour and will operate in what's called Partnership Reassurance Teams. They will be dedicated to addressing areas of work including:

Reducing anti social behaviour
Reducing alcohol and substance misuse
Giving young people a chance to make decisions through special forums and getting them involved in volunteering opportunities
Celebrating young peoples' achievements

The youth workers and PCSO's will be able to engage with young people where they actually congregate whether it's on street corners, parks or shopping centres. This way of working will build on the success of joint projects already operating in areas like Burntwood, Stone and Tamworth.

County Councillor John Taylor, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: "Tackling anti-social behaviour is a high priority for many neighbourhoods in Staffordshire. These appointments will provide reassurance to communities that we not only listen to their concerns but are prepared to put money into solving the problem. Young people also tell us that they need more activities and don't like being demonised. Putting youth workers into the same neighbourhoods as the PCSOs will allow us to offer positive, practical alternatives to hanging about on the street."

The detached youth workers will target those hard-to-reach youth groups and individuals who are thought to be responsible for anti-social behaviour and using their specialist skills they will reintroduce them back into mainstream youth support activity.

There are just over 200 PCSOs working across Staffordshire - they are uniformed members of police staff, who provide a highly visible and accessible presence at the heart of the community.

Assistant Chief Constable Douglas Paxton said: "PCSOs are now firmly established throughout the force area, and we know from feedback that their work is highly valued by the public. Anti-social behaviour can have a massive impact on people's lives, which is why Staffordshire Police and the county council are committed to doing all we can to reduce it.

"We are confident that the new Partnership Reassurance Teams will go a long way towards reducing anti-social behaviour and people's fear of crime. The PCSO and youth workers' roles complement each other perfectly, and the teams should also allow us to engage positively with young people to better understand and respond to their needs and issues," he added. Last Modified: 25/09/2008 12:06:09
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