DARWEN has been chosen to pilot a new scheme to 'get tough' on young criminals.

The borough council will now be looking at improving the local system which deals with youth crime, specifically at ways of reducing delays in both youth and adult cases going before the courts.

The Final Warning Scheme and Youth Offending Teams will also be introduced, part of the Crime and Disorder Bill.

Home Office Minister, Alun Michael, said that the pilot schemes would build on existing work at local level.

He said: "The present system allows young offenders to wreck their own lives as well as disrupting families and communities. Young offenders have escaped facing up to their crimes for far too long."

The main purposes of the Youth Offending Teams is to make sure there are no delays in dealing with young offenders, to confront them with the consequences of their crimes and to make the punishment fit the crime.

The Final Warning Scheme will replace the practice of repeat cautioning of offenders by a senior police officer with a statutory police reprimand and a final warning, ensuring that anyone reoffending will face criminal charges.

Deputy Council leader, Coun Bill Taylor, said: "Tackling crime and disorder is one of the priorities of the new council and ties in with the work we are doing to solve the problems associated with social exclusion and to improve the environment for local people."

The council will be working in partnership with various agencies including the police, health authority, probation service, education and training department, the courts and the youth service.

Blackburn and Darwen, along with the eight other local authorities piloting the scheme, will provide evidence of good practice and will look at costs and saving. The scheme is aimed at shaping local structures and policies to be introduced between next April and March 2000.

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