The Police, Young Offenders and Intelligence-Led Policing
| Author | Ian Waters |
| Published date | 01 December 2006 |
| DOI | 10.1350/pojo.2006.79.4.305 |
| Date | 01 December 2006 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
DR IAN WATERS
Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Department of Applied Social
Sciences, London Metropolitan University, London
THE POLICE, YOUNG OFFENDERS
AND INTELLIGENCE-LED
POLICING
The current article outlines ways in which the police in
England and Wales have been engaged in the control of young
offenders, with particular reference to the national implementa-
tion of the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme
(ISSP): this programme was introduced by the Youth Justice
Board (YJB) in 2001. The empirical research carried out by the
author for the current article formed part of the official
evaluation of ISSP; the latter was conducted by the Probation
Studies Unit in Oxford University’s Centre for Criminological
Research, on behalf of the YJB. The evaluation was conducted
between 2001 and 2004, and involved a broad range of
quantitative and qualitative methods (see YJB, 2004b). Most of
the results presented here focus on a specific part of the
evaluation, which was concerned to pinpoint the role of the
police in relation to surveillance and intelligence.
Introduction
The specific research aims included identifying the extent of
police involvement in the implementation of ISSP, the role and
perception of police officer members of YOTs with regard to
ISSP, and examples of successful interaction and intelligence
sharing between police forces and ISSP teams. Sincere thanks
are extended to all who took part in the research.
The Aim and Principles of ISSP
ISSPs have been hailed as the most rigorous non-custodial
interventions available for young offenders in England and
Wales (see YJB, 2004b: 15). The programmes are designed to
combine intensive supervision with close surveillance, and are
underpinned by the principle of evidence-based practice. Critical
commentators such as Muncie (2004: 291) lament the ‘punitive
mood’ of more rigorous community disposals. With the use of
ISSP, the YJB aims to ensure that the most difficult young
offenders are appropriately identified, the risks associated with
them are managed, and that the frequency and seriousness of
their offending is reduced (ibid.). The national evaluation of
The Police Journal, Volume 79 (2006) 305
ISSP focused on the first 41 schemes established around the
country. ISSP has been targeted at prolific and serious young
offenders, aged 10 to 17 years, and eligibility criteria have been
developed for this purpose (see YJB, 2004b: 73). Some schemes
were associated with single YOTs, while others involved a
consortium of teams. During the evaluation period, ISSP was
most commonly attached to a Supervision Order or a Commun-
ity Rehabilitation Order, and most young offenders qualified for
the programme on the persistence or seriousness of offending,
rather than repeat offending on bail (ibid.: 85).
From the outset, ISSP has been designed around core ‘super-
vision’ modules, including education and training, restorative
justice, and changing offending behaviour, although it became
clear during the national evaluation that there was considerable
variation between schemes in terms of quality and consistency of
provision. The other key element of ISSP is surveillance of
offenders in the community; the objective is to ensure that young
people themselves are aware that their behaviour is being mon-
itored, and to reassure the community; however, research evid-
ence in the current study suggested a very limited public
awareness of ISSP. Schemes have been required to provide
surveillance of young people in terms of tracking, tagging, voice
verification or intelligence-led policing (ILP). Strict enforcement
is viewed by the YJB as crucial to the success of ISSP, and in
providing reassurance to the community. ISSP teams are
required to deal with non-compliances according to the YJB’s
National Standards (see YJB, 2004a). During the evaluation
period, nearly 60% of offenders on ISSP were breached at some
point in their programme due to non-compliance; the successful
completion rate for those on the programme was 47% (YJB,
2004b: 254).
Research Methods
The research methods included interviews with senior ISSP staff,
and the use of self-completion questionnaires distributed to YOT
police officers and ISSP members. Five ISSP schemes were
investigated in greater depth with regard to the police role in
intelligence and surveillance. These case studies were not
selected at random, but rather on the basis of initial indications
that they had a more clearly defined role for police officers in
ISSP, and initial evidence that ‘intelligence-led policing’ might
form a key part of ISSP policy. These case studies were used to
explore the specific involvement of police officers more inti-
mately engaged in ISSP work. In one case study, the ISSP
306 The Police Journal, Volume 79 (2006)
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