Justice Minister visits Rochdale Youth Inclusion Project

Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw

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Jack Straw, Secretary of State for Justice, visited Rochdale on Friday morning, 29 February. He was at the Youth Inclusion Project at The Strand on the Kirkholt estate to talk to youngsters about how they have benefited from the scheme.

Mr Straw was in Rochdale to support Rochdale’s Labour Parliamentary candidate Simon Danczuk. Mr Danczuk wanted to show the Blackburn MP the impact that crime prevention programmes for young people had on the area.

“I’ve come to Rochdale to look at the project and see what progress has been made over the years and to hear from young people as well as those working here. I wanted to see what more can be done because I am passionate about this kind of programme. I was brought up in an area not too dissimilar to this,” Essex born Mr Straw told Rochdale Online.

“This project is giving individuals hope in the area and the people are giving themselves hope as well. People are working together in the area and with police officers to try and improve the situation.

“I asked some of the children here what they want to do. What do they think they will be doing in ten years time? One wanted his own house and money from a steady job, another wanted to become a hairdresser. These are not just dreams, like wanting to become a footballer, they are achievable aims.”

One of the groups’ main concerns is securing funding for the future. Mr Straw said that he would do his best to get Government funding for the centre to continue its work tackling youth crime in the area.

Project coordinator Sam Skaife said: “This is a high profile visit so it is ideal to show the project off and what we have achieved.

“The project is only funded until March and we hope we can keep going. We have done a lot of work this year but there is a lot more work we need to do. Funding is a massive problem and we’re always uncertain when it comes to March and fear we might not be in a job.”

Mr Straw said: “The people here have asked me about additional funding and I will do my best. That is the only promise I can make because I don’t hold the cheque book. This project certainly has a case to be given more money.”

The Youth Inclusion Project (YIP) was opened in October 2006 and during that time it has engaged with more than 300 people in the Kirkholt area. It runs activity days for young people and sets up community projects, such as cleaning up the estate and removing the graffiti, to help get children off the streets.

Simon Danczuk said: "I was delighted to welcome Jack Straw to come to Rochdale today. I know he was keen to see first hand what kind of work needs to be done to divert young people away from crime in our Borough. It's important that Labour cabinet members of such a senior level see the issues that communities and young people in Rochdale face. I will be pressing for more senior ministers to visit Rochdale because I want local peoples' concerns heard in Government."

Kirkholt YIP has reduced arrests by 65% among the young people they work with, compared to a 61% increase in offending among youngsters who have not engaged with the project.

One of the children that the project has helped is 17 year-old Kieran Speak, who has been attending the Strand centre since it opened in 2006. “It keeps me off the streets and keeps me out of trouble. Before it opened I was dossing and drinking on the streets.

“It helps against anti-social behaviour, that goes on a lot round here. People should come down here [the project centre] to stay out of trouble.”

The project is run by national crime prevention charity Crime Concern and is one of three such schemes in the Rochdale borough, working alongside centres in Heywood and Middleton. The Rochdale Prevention Programme was set up due to the deprived nature of the area. Kirkholt is one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Greater Manchester.

Video of the Kirkholt project:

• News/media/kirkholt_video_29_02_08.wmv