West Oxfordshire police fear impact of cutting youth centre cash (From Oxford Mail)

West Oxfordshire police fear impact of cutting youth centre cash

7:00am Thursday 30th December 2010 in News By Tom Jennings

WEST Oxfordshire’s most senior police officer has warned youth centre cuts will see more youngsters getting into “mischief”.

Chief inspector Jack Malhi, area commander for West Oxfordshire, spoke out over Conservative-run Oxfordshire County Council’s plan to cut funding.

Centres in Bampton, Burford, Carterton, Chipping Norton, Eynsham and Standlake would lose cash.

Mr Malhi said: “Young people are more likely to get into some mischief than not without the youth centres, and that will have an impact.

“As to what impact that will be, we don’t know. I suppose I would be a little bit worried.

“Each cut can have an impact on society, and we need to work together to minimise the impact.

“It may be that we need more big society initiatives, like people volunteering.”

Yet he said he was not criticising Oxfordshire County Council.

Eynsham youth centre user Nicky Wishart, 12, welcomed Mr Malhi’s comments.

Nicky, who held a protest outside Witney MP David Cameron’s constituency office over the proposed loss of the youth centre, said: “I strongly agree with what Jack Malhi has said.

“I will probably end up on the street and getting into trouble if Eynsham youth centre closes.”

Nicky, who hit headlines after being quizzed by police before the demo, added: “There’s always people that are complaining that young people don’t have anything to do, and now they are taking youth centres away.”

Adrian Coomber, deputy mayor of Carterton, said warned youths will be “at risk of getting into trouble”.

He said: “We are a town of more than 15,000 people and, with RAF Brize Norton close by, we have a large number of young families, and therefore a much larger number of young people than other towns in the district.”

But county council leader Keith Mitchell said: “Closure of youth clubs does not automatically equate to a rise in crime.

“Youngsters are perfectly capable of being responsible young adults who do not indulge in antisocial behaviour with or without youth centres.”

He said he hoped the community would take over the centres. The axe would hit 21 centres and save £4.2m.

And Councillor Charles Mathew, Tory county councillor for Eynsham, said: “I can see where Jack Malhi is coming from, however, the financial circumstances of the council made its cabinet decide that some youth centres should be deprived of funding. The problem is, if it isn’t youth centres, what other necessary expenditure would have to be axed?”

Mr Malhi’s comments echo comments made by Inspector Graham Dix, responsible for youth justice and engagement at the force.

Insp Dix said: “The loss of those services would mean more opportunities for young people to get involved in crime and antisocial behaviour, so we would oppose their closure.”

He said the force had not been consulted about the cuts.