Making An Impact On Car Crime
The Youth Justice Agency was recognised for its work in helping to combat car crime at the recent Criminal Justice Awards ceremony held at the Wellington Park Hotel, Belfast.
At the ceremony William McGowan received the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Tackling Youth Crime’ award on behalf of the Youth Justice Agency for his work on the IMPACT Project.
Set up in 2001 IMPACT, or Inclusive Model of Partnership Against Car Theft, is a multi-agency response to car crime made up of local community representatives and a wide-range of statutory agencies working in partnership to tackle the problem.
The project involves intervention work with those young people engaged in car crime, diversionary work with those on the margins of this behaviour and preventative work with young people who may be vulnerable to becoming involved in car theft.
William is on secondment from the Youth Justice Agency to work on the project using his skills as a social worker to help divert young people away from car crime.
“I have really enjoyed working on the project, which is having a real impact on helping to reduce youth related car crime. In working with the young people we have attempted to raise awareness and empathy for the victims of car crime and the impact that it has on the wider community,” said William.
