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A partnership project between the Police, Youth Offending Team and Community Safety working with prolific, vulnerable or at risk young offenders aged 10 to 19 years in Cornwall. Active offenders are identified through intelligence from the Police, information from the community and the sharing of quality information with other partner agencies.
Referrals to the White Gold Project are assessed along known criminal history, criminal intelligence and numerous other risk factors associated with criminal behaviour. The project was originally piloted in 2003 and has been fully operational since January 2004. As a result of the assertive outreach work and community based interventions that have taken place in these areas there has been a significant reduction in youth crime.
The engagement process with the young person is voluntary and through signed consent. The young person will be given the opportunity to receive the appropriate level of support to address the factors relating to his or her offending behaviour. Issues dealt with on a regular basis include self esteem, accommodation, family, drugs, alcohol, education, benefits, employment, anti social behaviour, victim awareness, restorative justice and mediation.
The WGP works in partnership with all other relevant agencies and its
aims are - to reduce youth offending; to ensure that a quality assessment
is undertaken on all nominated young people; to ensure that quality partnership
work to support positive changes by the young person takes place; and
to ensure quality partnership work to support community protection from
young offenders.
Does it work?
A review of WGP performance took place in November 2004. The research found that for those young people who had become involved with the White Gold Project found there was a 56% reduction in Police linked crime. This translated into potential yearly saving of £500000 in terms of the economic and social costs of crime.
During 2005 Dr Adrian Barton and Richard Teagle from Plymouth University conducted an independent research evaluation of the WGP which stated that "WGP is a success that goes far in achieving its aims and objectives ... due to the fact that WGP has been able to create its own identity and unique way of working with young offenders, thus complementing existing provision"(p.15 - An Evaluation of the White Gold Project).