North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin has praised the work of a project which is aiming to tackle the root causes of youth anti-social behaviour (ASB).

On June 12, Mr Dunbobbin visited Ysgol Morgan Llwyd in Wrexham to see how the new and innovative youth engagement initiative is working.

The project is part of a wider Safer Streets initiative for Wrexham, and is being delivered by Groundwork North Wales, who are working with Wrexham Council and North Wales Police to deliver the initiative. 

The Safer Streets Fund is a £75 million Home Office programme that encourages Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities to bid for investment for initiatives to prevent neighbourhood crime across England and Wales.

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Since the pandemic, there has been a notable rise in ASB among young people in schools and in the wider community, alongside a rise in young people noting that they are suffering from low mental health. 

This project in Ysgol Morgan Llwyd is actively seeking to address the root causes of youth ASB through partnership working with local schools and organisations. Other schools taking part in the programme include Ysgol Clywedog and Ysgol Rhosnesni.

Each identified school has been allocated two days per week of engagement where the youth team at Groundwork North Wales will provide support, opportunities and in-depth discussion around the topic of ASB in a school setting, as well as identifying current issues and problems highlighted in their communities. 

Groups will also have the opportunity to learn new skills and qualifications through participating in the activities.

The programme further teaches crime prevention and how to keep safe, as well as the impact of ASB in the community. 

While at the school Mr Dunbobbin met Aaron Jones, senior youth lead at Groundwork North Wales; Jenny Pope, youth practitioner and Groundwork North Wales; Emily Reddy of regional cohesion coordination at Wrexham Council; and head of year Sion Davies. 

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The pupils were creating planters to be sited in the middle of the schoolyard. 

Mr Davies said: “The project has helped the young people massively.

"They have really enjoyed it and learnt from it too. They are always excited to take part and I think they have really developed, not just as pupils, but as people too.”

Mr Dunbobbin said: “It was a real pleasure to see the innovative work being undertaken by Groundworks, North Wales Police and Wrexham County Borough Council at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd as part of a wider plan of tackling ASB across the city. 

"Delivering safer neighbourhoods is a key priority of mine as Police and Crime Commissioner and an important part of this is engaging with local communities and understanding how we can work together to understand why problems such as ASB occur, how it affects people and how we can fight it together.”