A Dawlish town and Teignbridge district councillor has welcomed a £900,000 funding award to a project tackling gang culture and violence among young people in south Devon.

Martin Wrigley, one of the three councillors representing the Dawlish North East ward, described the impact of the Turning Corners project as 'potentially huge'.

The money will pay for a continuation of a Government-funded programme that involved youth workers intervening to divert vulnerable young people away from crime and towards sport and other activities.

It was run in Teignbridge and the South Hams by the South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership, and was instrumental in cutting crime last year in Newton Abbot, where a group of up to 30 young people were at serious risk of becoming involved in gangs, drug dealing and violence.

Devon and Cornwall Police issued adult and youth civil gang injunctions against 11 individuals meaning they were unable to visit certain places, meet with certain people or act in a threatening way over social media.

It was the first time a piece of civil legislation had been used to address gang-related behaviour in the region.

Focusing on 'our most vulnerable young people'

The project ended earlier this year, but a new scheme to continue its work is being funded to the tune of £225,000 a year for four years by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, in partnership with the Chief Constable.

Cllr Wrigley, who is Teignbridge district council's executive lead for safer communities, said: "We're tremendously proud and pleased that this pioneering project has been funded for a further four years, allowing us to develop and extend this already successful work.

"The Turning Corners programme will continue to focus on some of our most vulnerable and marginalised young people, who are at the greatest risk of exploitation and abuse, or from falling into a cycle of crime and risky behaviour.

"This funding will enable us to build on the positive outcomes we have seen through the initial pilot to help these young people build positive relationships, meaningful activities and make good life choices.

Giving young people better life chances

"The impact of this project is potentially huge; reducing the demand on hard-pressed resources as well as the impact on the criminal justice system, and giving young people better life chances and prospects for their future."

Cllr Wrigley also updated Dawlish Town Council on theTurning Corners programme when the full council met on Wednesday, November 4.

He said: "It's made a difference to, shall we say, youth misbehaviour across the entire patch.

"It's evidence-driven and they trace networks and find connections between people, and then solve all sorts of problems that you don't even see, through being highly intelligence-driven and information-driven, and it's a good example of the Community Safety Partnership working well across the patch."

The police and crime commissioner, Alison Hernandez, said: "I'm delighted that this project has been such a success and that those involved can now continue with their fantastic work.

"Phase two of the scheme will build on the evidence and learning from the initial Turning Corners project around early intervention, maintaining trusted relationships, strengthening knowledge and understanding across multi-agency partnerships.

"The aim is to scale this project up and reach into other geographic areas with young people suffering from community disconnection and stop them turning their hand to criminal activity.

"Most people ask me 'what are we doing about our young people' who they can see frequently in their community getting into trouble.

"Our community sometimes feels helpless and frustrated to take action, but this scheme will reassure everyone that we are doing all we can to turn young people's lives around.

"We can offer parents support to improve their confidence in dealing with their children at home and take enforcement action as necessary to enhance discipline.

"We are committed to reducing violent crime in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and projects like this, which have a proven track record of success, give the young people of our region the best chance of a life away from crime."