Teenage tearaways set for consultant roles to crackdown on Devizes' problems

In a radical new approach to how to tackle anti-social behaviour that is plaguing Devizes, the council will seek to make some of the troublemakers their official special advisers.

The move follows reports a gang of Devizes teenagers aged 13-16 have been responsible for what police have calculated is two-thirds of all ASB in the town.

Police and councillors believe that many of the teenagers are causing problems because they are disadvantaged, bored, have no youth club and that they feel left out.

The new initiative, launched by Cllr Jonathan Hunter and overwhelmingly backed at a meeting last night of the council’s Community & Civic Resources Committee, is aimed at reducing the ASB by giving trouble-making teens official status and responsibility.

Teens terrorising town and police could join special council committee | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald

The move comes days after police were called to a disturbance in Sidmouth Street involving a large group of youths, where a 14-year-old boy was arrested and charged with assault.

No councillor spoke against the plan which includes reactivating a long-defunct “student advisers” scheme.

It means at least four young people will join the council as consultants, sitting on committees, advising councillors on young people’s issues and providing insights on why some of their generation are causing trouble.

Devizes town councillor Jonathan Hunter

“I see this as a unique and crucial opportunity to promote inclusion for young people from different backgrounds and who experience different challenges,” said Cllr Hunter.

“It would be wonderful to see some of the characters involved in the anti-social behaviour in the town taking part in this scheme.”

Cllr Jane Burton said young people “who have had a rough start in life” should be given the chance to be involved and Cllr Maria Hoult praised the intelligence of some of the town’s disadvantaged children “who just need to be engaged”.

Cllr Chris Greenwood also suggested targeting younger age groups as well as those excluded from school.

The “give youth a chance” plan has the backing of the police, Wiltshire councillors, youth workers including the locally-influential Steve Dewar, church leaders, local schools and the county’s crime commissioner Philip Wilkinson.

If the pilot scheme works for Devizes, it could be rolled out to towns across Wiltshire experiencing the same issues.

Cllr Hunter will now broaden plans for the scheme and report back to the council on proposed action, likely to include that The Shambles is offered as a pop-up “club” where teenagers could meet in the evenings.