POLICE OFFICERS TO 'ADOPT AND MENTOR' CRIMINALS

Police officers are being encouraged to "adopt" criminals in an
attempt to cut down on drug-related crime, it has been revealed.

The project, thought to be one of the first in the country, is being
trialed in Worksop by Nottinghamshire Police, who were inspired by
their counterparts in Holland.

Home Office slammed as number of muggers jailed tumbles

British passport given to racketeer who is wanted for rape in India

Fresh blow to Reid as only 50 of 10,000 foreign prisoners go home

Under the "Adopt an Offender" scheme, beat officers will have
responsibility for keeping an eye on known offenders and drug users
in the area they police, making sure they attend drug treatment
programmes and stay on the straight and narrow.

Officers will also have responsibility for liaising with education
and training providers, therefore enabling their charges to take
courses designed to help them get a job.

A spokesman for the Nottinghamshire Police Authority said the aim was
to ensure that each offender is completely engaged in a
rehabilitation programme, thereby reducing the chance of reoffending.

The adopting officer also has the power to report any problems, or
any refusal to cooperate in treatment programmes, to the probation service.

Chief Inspector Colin Martin, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "We
want to see a reduction in volume crimes such as burglary and
robbery, which are often carried out to feed a drugs habit.

"We hope that by giving local officers greater involvement with known
offenders in this way, we will see more people attending their
treatment, taking part in training for employment and thereby a
reduction in the number of volume crimes.

"As neighbourhood policing continues to roll out across the county we
feel that local officers will be far better placed to adopt local
offenders and monitor their rehabilitation progress."

The inspiration for the scheme came from the Dutch city of Assen,
where it has been running successfully for ten years, the spokesperson added.

The force was made aware of it when it joined with Holland and
Poland, as part of the EU-funded AGIS research project, to look at
and establish best codes of practice in dealing with common crimes.

Chairman of Nottinghamshire Police Authority, John Clarke, added:
"Having seen how the well idea works in Holland we hope that it will
work equally well here.

"This is exactly the sort of benefit that we hoped we would see from
the AGIS project.

"We are using ideas gained from Poland and Holland while they are
learning from us. When the project is completed we feel sure that
benefits will be shared on a much wider basis."