YOUTH crime across Hampshire is being tackled more comprehensively than ever before. In the third of a series examining the work of the Wessex Youth Offending Team (YOT), the Daily Echo looks at hi-tech measures to deal with persistent and serious young offenders...

IT IS designed to be the toughest alternative to custody. Up-to-the-minute surveillance measures are being used to monitor Hampshire's most persistent and serious young criminals.

Everything from electronic tagging to hi-tech voice verification techniques can be put in place to ensure that offenders are where they should be at any given time.

The revolutionary Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP) was introduced in Hampshire in October 2001, with the first young person starting in January 2002. In the early days the programme operated out of a church hall, with garden chairs as furniture.

Now, after successful trials in Portsmouth and south-east Hampshire, ISSPs have been introduced across Southampton, where five young people are already on the programme.

The system is designed to be the most rigorous non-custodial option available for young offenders, providing a strict and closely-monitored regime.

Catering for the most active repeat young offenders and those who commit the most serious crimes, the ISSP aims to reduce offending at the same time as tackling a young person's underlying needs - with particular emphasis on education and training.

At the same time, close surveillance, backed up by rigorous enforcement, provides reassurance for the community. The effectiveness of the programme is being carefully monitored, with an evaluation by experts from Oxford University due out shortly.

Although responsibility for the programme rests with the Wessex Youth Offending Team (YOT), it receives separate Home Office funding through the Youth Justice Board.

Jeff Ballard, Hampshire's ISSP manager, said: "The programme is designed to be an alternative to custody; it is something which is seen as robust in terms of youth justice.

"Through electronic monitoring, tagging, curfews and voice verification, we can determine a young offender is where they should be at any given time - for example, an appointment with a drugs worker. This system is working well; we find it very useful."

Mr Ballard said the system ensured that the young offenders were not out roaming the streets at 7pm or 8pm when they had to be inside in the evenings.

He added: "We try to get them involved in things to make sure they are not idle. We want these young people to become useful contributors to society. Unfortunately, there is no moondust or magic wand; it is just darned hard work."

So far, 131 young people from a variety of backgrounds have been through an ISSP in the Portsmouth area - about 90 per cent of them male.

Youngsters are eligible if they are appearing in court charged with, or convicted of, an offence and have previously been charged, warned or convicted on four or more separate dates within the past 12 months and have received at least one community or custodial penalty.

Young offenders can also qualify if they are at risk of custody because the current charge is sufficiently serious that an adult could be sentenced to 14 years or more, or if they have a history of repeat offending.

The ISSP team arranges a joint meeting with any young person fulfilling the criteria. If the young offender consents to going on the programme, it is down to the court to decide whether or not to impose it as part of a community rehabilitation or supervision order.

Typically, the team would work with a young person for six months - with three months of intensive sessions involving at least 25 hours a week, and three covering issues like education, training and employment.

Emma Partington, the ISSP operational manager for Southampton, said: "We also concentrate on their health. There is an assessment when they first come in.

"One young person was very argumentative and when we did a health check we found out he could hardly see.

"We make sure they have a GP, a dentist and know about personal hygiene, sexual health - things like that.

"It is amazing how they want to learn. They are the parents of tomorrow and actually want to learn.

"Communication is the key. If you are positive and have a happy, smiley face it can make all the difference.

"It is about drive and commitment, and showing them we are not going to give up on them."

Jeff Ballard, based at the ISSP's offices in Drayton, near Cosham, said the intervention of an outside agency was long overdue for many families.

"We are in touch with a young person's family three or four times a week," he said. "Very often, we find parents have been looking for some assistance for a long time. The drive and determination they receive from an ISSP is a great help to both them and the young person.

"We also have tremendous support from the courts, the YOT teams, the police and other agencies."

The ISSP tailors individual packages of surveillance according to the risk posed by each young offender.

Each scheme uses a mix of:

Tracking - where staff track the whereabouts of young offenders throughout the week, accompanying them to appointments and providing support and advice

Tagging - electronic monitoring of the young offender, for example to reinforce a night-time curfew

Voice verification - checking the voice print of the young offender over the telephone at times specified in a schedule, in order to confirm they are where they should be

Intelligence-led policing - police can provide overt monitoring of a young person's movements at key times to reinforce the programme

The minimum requirement is for two surveillance checks a day, but the system can be increased to 24-hour monitoring where required. Any young person who breaches their order is returned to court, where they may receive an alternative penalty. Across the country, there is an average 55 per cent completion rate.