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Home - News - £1.4 million investment to keep North Yorkshire safe by turning lives round

30 November, 2020

£1.4 million investment to keep North Yorkshire safe by turning lives round

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is to invest £1.4 million over the next three years to try and reduce the number of offenders entering the justice system, and reduce those who reoffend if they’ve been convicted, in an effort to make the county safer and feel safer.

Julia Mulligan has decided to spend £470,000 per year on the three new diversionary services across North Yorkshire and the City of York which will focus on three groups:

  • Young people, aged 10-17
  • Young men, aged 18-25
  • Women, aged 18+

All three services will deliver targeted prevention and early intervention work which will give those at risk of offending or reoffending a dedicated keyworker who will identify and address individual needs.

The aim is to reduce crime by supporting those who have committed, or are at risk of committing, so called low level offences.

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said:

“We know that branding people as criminals and locking them up can create more problems than it solves, doing little to address the underlying reasons why someone commits an offence, and making them more likely to offend again.

“Diversionary services aim to break what can turn into a cycle of crime, with minor offences leading to much more serious ones in the future. That is why this investment and this approach makes sense, not just for those young people, women and men who stumble into the criminal justice system, but for everyone in North Yorkshire and York who will become victims if their action is left unchecked.

“I am confident that by supporting individuals, we can protect residents, homes and businesses, making our streets and our communities safer.”

The two adult schemes will consist of the following elements:

  • The offer of support across a range of needs, on a voluntary basis, to individuals who may be at risk of entering the criminal justice system. Community-based organisations and key partner agencies will be able to refer into the schemes, in addition to North Yorkshire Police.
  • A mandated pre-court diversionary offer of support, across a range of needs, to individuals following arrest. This offer of support will be conditional, if the individual does not engage with the scheme then they will be referred back to the criminal justice process.

The Young Person’s service will offer:

  • Support to individuals, across a range of needs, on a voluntary basis, and will have a particular focus on working within local communities to address specific issues. Community-based organisations and partners will be able to refer into the scheme, in addition to North Yorkshire Police.

The services are due to commence in Spring 2021 and a procurement process to find partners to work with the Commissioner’s office to deliver them is getting underway.

More details can be found at www.northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk/diversionarytender.

To apply

If you are interested in working in partnership with the North Yorkshire Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner to deliver these exciting new services you will need to be registered on the Blue Light Portal at https://uk.eu-supply.com.

Applications will be submitted via the portal – please look for quote/tender:

  • 42271 – 2238-2020 – Prevention and Intervention and pre-court diversionary services.