Citation

Barton A, Teagle R. Crime Prev. Community Safety 2007; 9(1): 21-33.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -- Palgrave-Macmillan)

DOI

10.1057/palgrave.cpcs.8150032

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The Every Child Matters and Youth Matters legislation have continued the trend of mandating joint working and identifying agencies' responsibilities in dealing with social problems. For many agencies, this is relatively unproblematic and simply means a continuation of current working practices. However, for some it has meant forays into unfamiliar or previously difficult territory. This paper, which is based on some empirical findings, concentrates on how the Devon and Cornwall police have become involved in proactive interventions aimed at preventing youth crime while avoiding charges of net widening and mesh thinning.

Keywords: policing, net widening, mesh thinning, youth justice, crime prevention