Sta rs of
CCTV
Karin Goodwin goes out on patrol with the Youth Action Team, whose job it is to rid our streets of juvenile crime
il'teen—.\eai‘—old Natalie glouers \xith resentment as she \xatehes plain—elothed
l’(‘.s Adam D) er and And} .lohnson ol l.eith's Youth :\etion 'l‘eani Pouring the hall"
hottle til \tidk‘a and litre oli eider that she had been planning to share \\llll l‘i'iends down the drain.
'I ean't helie\ e _\ou did that she griinaees. folding her arms aeross her ehest.
But l)_\ er and Johnson. who ha\ e eoine aeross the teenage girls and their earr}out in a tueked au'a} eoniinunit} garden ot'l‘ one ol' l.eitli's quiet residential streets. are unrepentant. ‘You kno\\ \xe're just tr_\ing to keep _\ou out ot' trouhle Natalie] Dyer tells her.
She demands to know hou the} knoxx her name. ‘We had to take )titi home last l‘rida)
night after you‘d been drinking." l)_\ er jogs her
"13"“er 'Slm‘l.‘ _\ou i‘eineinlk‘ifi" .-\ danninil ‘_ einlxirrassment gliniiners before her anno_\anee o\'ei'—ride.s it. ‘Well. I'll ha\e a shit i-‘rida_\ night this week." .sltc snaps.
' The ol‘l'ieers gix'e up trying to engage her in friendly banter. and duek out of the arehua} leading to the garden and eontinue their rounds.
16 THE LIST
'l‘his ina} he a \xorld ana} lroin the daik eriniinal underhell} ol l)eteeti\e lnspeetoi Ix’ehus' l.eith hut the suhieet ol _\outli el'lllle is nonetheless one that interests his ei‘eatoi. Ian Rankin. \\ ho keen tor l/lt’ /.l\/ to in\estigate.
l‘l'tlltl pett_\ ol't'enees sueh as \andalisiii and
\\;l\
anti—soeial heha\iour to assaults and knile attaeks. the tigui'es \hou that underage ei'iiiie and persistent ol'lending are on the rise. eieating headlines and eoininunit} eoneerns. \et iiian} \xould argue that too nian} _\oung people are heing \sritten oil as a result. lahelled lioodies and hoodlunis \xhen the} are iiist aeting as teenagers ;il\\;i}s ha\e.
'l'he Youth .I\etion 'leains i\'.\'| si. a ioiiit initiati\e l‘L‘l\\L‘ell laillllall .illtl Hilltlel's l’iillee and Izdinhurgh (at) ('oiineil. aiiii to taekle \andalisin. lou-leu’l eriine and anti soeial hehauour h) huilding relationships \\llll hotli _\oung people and residents on then loeal heat. 'l‘hree _\eai's alter its launeh. the initiatix e is hearing t'ruit. with some progi‘ainnies lia\ ing eut eoniplaints h} as inueh as halt.
\'.-\'l‘ ot‘lieei's gain the trust ot teenageis through
Vandalism and underage drunk and disorderlies are standard fare for PCs Adam Dyer and Andy Johnson, pictured bottom
seliool \isits and ollei targeted .ietixities ineluding loothall and l’la} Station Ioiiinaiiients lot tliose p;iitieii|ail_\ in need ol ‘distiaetioii'.
Some ol these iiieasiiies haxe \xoiked \xell. l'ollo\~.ing ieetiiient ealls lioiii one gioiip ol iesideiits ahoiit a i‘o\\d_\ gioiip pla_\iiig toothall on the stieet. damaging.) ears and eausing disiiiptioii iii the pioeess. the team intei\ened and. in eoniunetion \\ itli l eitli .\eaden1}. set tip a iegulai kiek ahoiit using seliool laeilities \lonths ha\ e non passed and lllL'lt lia\e heen no [Hul‘h‘llls slllet'.
Hut \\llt‘ll eoinplaints do eoiiie in. \'.\'l ollieeis aie sent to the seene. .‘tllil\\lllj_‘ them to get to know l‘ttlll the _\oiiiig people iesponsihle and lt‘sltlellls tillt'eletl.
l/lt' /./\I has heeii in\ited on the plain elothes patrol. \xhieli takes plaee e\ei_\ l'l'ltltl} and Satuida} hetueen 0 Spin. and is also a ke} part ol the team's duties. lhe team is on the lookout loi _\ouiig diiiikeis. \\ho are not oiil} inoie likel} to eaiise a distiii’haiiee altei a ten too iiian} aleopops. hut \xlio also pose a dangei to tlienisehes. ‘You look at these kids soiiietiines and the} liaxe no idea \xliat's going on or \kllL'lL‘ the} are] e\plains Johnson.
'l’he_\ are also otit to target shopkeepers selling hoo/e to under le. ,r\s \ie \\;ilk along one «it l.ellll.\ niain thoroughlai‘es the} poiiil out some shops that are knoun giiilt_\ parties. '.\nd the} '\e all heen \xai’ned that the} need to ask tor ll).' adds .lolinson. 'So tlieies no e\euse.‘ \Vitliiii the last le\‘. niontlis tlie_\ '\ e seeiii'ed a eonxietion lor one shopkeeper. as v. ell as eonliseating \\ ell ox er llltl litres ol aleoliol lioiii _\oiing people.
Sergeant \lai‘k Rennie. '.\lio heads up the Saler ('oiiiniunities and Youth \etion lettlll. explains \sh} the approaeh \ktil'ks \H \\ ell. "lhe inost iiiipoi'tanl thing tor a \4.\'l ollieei' is that the} huild iip trust and a rapport \iith the _\oung people.' he sa_\s. "lhe_\ aie then more likel} to take adxiee and guidanee tioin them than the} \kould than an otlieer the} don't know.
In l.eith. he admits. the prohleni ol }otith eriine isn't as se"~.ei'e as in some parts ol the eit}. hut it's