He has left behind a youth toolkit advising police officers on the subject (YPN, 15-21 November 2006, p7). Clark first became involved in youth issues 15 years ago when he was assistant chief constable in Leicestershire, and was asked to chair a multi-agency youth diversion panel.
"What was obvious back in those days was that the police service had not got a clear strategy on how young people fitted into policing and communities," he says. "Most of what was happening was reactive, but there was a sense that some groups of young people were more active offenders than others."
This led to work that started to define the concept of persistent young offenders, and to look at how to work with them. "We did research in Leicestershire that showed our top 16 offenders had committed more than 1,500 offences collectively," says Clark. "That started off some debate nationally."
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
