Council chief happy as Aberdeen youth crime drops by nearly 50%

Youth crime in Aberdeen has fallen by almost half in the past year.

Figures released in the Community Planning Aberdeen annual outcome improvement report for 2017-18 show that 136 young people were accused in relation to single and multiple crime reports.

This is down from 262 reported in 2015-16.

The Community Planning Aberdeen report brings together figures from a number of different partnerships within the north-east.

It covers a range of different areas including people, the economy, places, technology and working with communities, and outlines how progress has been over the past year in regards to the Local Outcome Improvement Plan 2016-2026.

Within the people category, youth justice shows that partners have been working together, with the Police Scotland Youth Justice Management Unit (YJMU) central to the process.

The report states: “We have seen the reduction of crimefiles generated at the units dropping by 90% since 2014-15 and from 57 to just 12 reports in 2017-18, preventing young people entering the justice system.

“The introduction of the Barnardo’s CSE advisor to Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire as a pilot project has seen many benefits including giving inputs and advice to staff and young people at residential units around child sexual exploitation and social media dangers.”

A number of other improvements have also been made in the area, including £170,000 invested back into the community through four participatory budgeting events in George Street, Castlehill and Pittodrie and the city centre, as well as the three regeneration areas in Aberdeen.

Other money was also invested in Wales Street to improve the housing blocks and £30,000 to make changes to unused green space in Torry.

In the economy, occupancy in city centre premises has improved on the 2017-18 aim.

There is now 90.8% occupancy in city centre premises, compared to the 90% improvement aim. Last year, the figure was 91%, whereas in 2015-16 was 90.3%.

This includes recent development Marischal Square, which began to welcome new businesses in the summer.

The number of destinations served by Aberdeen International Airport has also performed higher than the target.

In 2017-18, there were 55 destinations, compared to the aim of 52.

However, the number of passengers using the Aberdeen airport is viewed by the report to require more work, with hopes to bring in three million a year, compared to the 2.8 million which were recorded in 2017-18.

Looking to the future, a number of changes are planned for the north-east.

These include providing earlier support for families of people involved in the justice system, develop community food skills, and expanding free wifi in the city.

Aberdeen City Council co-leader Jenny Laing, pictured, chairwoman of Community Planning Aberdeen, said: “It is clear from the report that the CPA is already making an impact and helping to improve the lives of people of all ages across Aberdeen.”