Making a Splash
Distracting youngsters from turning to anti-social activities by entertaining them is not a new concept, the SPLASH (Schools and Police Liaison Activities for School Holidays) has been operating out of Chippenham Police Station in Wiltshire for 15-years.
The scheme was put in place to prevent teenagers up to the age of 16 from turning to crime and anti-social behaviour to stave off boredom, while keeping them safe, by providing a programme of activities.
SPLASH is a registered charity run by a board of trustees and supported by Wiltshire Constabulary as main partner, along with support from the county council.
The initative now produces around 40,000 guides, sent out to young people and the community to alert them to upcoming activities as well as arranging bus discount cards for those attending SPLASH events. Copies of the programmes are sent to individual children as well as being available at libraries, sports centres and police stations.
In addition to the summer SPLASH events, which run over three weeks in August, the SPLASH team helps support higher-risk children with half-term activity events under the PAYP (Positive Activity for Young People) banner.
The specially targeted Summer Challenge aspect of SPLASH looks to engage teenagers of school leaving age.
SPLASH operations coordinator Nikki Green says: A lot of these young people are leaving school and spend the summer not knowing what they are going to do. The Summer Challenge has been very successful with around 87% of this age group who attends the events going on to arrange something for themselves in September either returning to college to further their education, or booking appointments with careers advisory services.
So far there have been hundreds of SPLASH events, giving places to more than 20,000 youngsters.
The advantages of the SPLASH scheme are detailed on the Wiltshire Constabulary website:
n Diverting young people away from crime or antisocial behaviours, thereby benefiting themselves and communities of Wiltshire and Swindon.
n Ensuring that young people who are financially disadvantaged are provided with support through the SPLASH voucher scheme to ensure that they have an equal opportunity to participate in all activities during the summer.
n Enabling young people to make independent choices concerning their leisure time pursuits.
n Reduction of pressure within a difficult home environment by the provision of
respite activities.
n Keeping young people safe from harm.
n Encouraging young people to make positive use of their time and providing them
with access to new and stimulating activities.
n Promoting and co-ordinating safe activities, thereby potentially preventing accidents.
n Providing access to activities in rural communities.
n Developing partnerships through which activities and services can be co-ordinated.
n Providing access to discounted fares with local bus companies.
Green adds: SPLASH has been running for around 15-years and it is all about
engaging young people in positive activities and helping to reduce the youth crime statistics. It helps them develop their self-worth, personal development and skills.
While we dont have any direct evidence about the success of the scheme, national figures show a 12-16% drop in youth offences in areas where activity schemes have been used. Were now working very closely with research officers at Wiltshire Constabulary to come up with more accurate figures for SPLASH.
When were running the schemes we make sure we communicate with the Community Beat Officers and let them know what is going on. Then if they come across youngsters on the streets causing problems, they have an alternative they can send them to.