Youth Offender Panels are to be set up by the Bradford Youth Offending Team to help reduce youth crime among ten- to 17-year-olds.

Sixty volunteers, aged 18 and over, are needed from all backgrounds to undergo full training in time for the launch of the panels in April.

They will be based in Bradford, Shipley and Keighley and will deal with up to 350 young offenders a year who are appearing in court for the first time.

Individual agreements and programmes of activity, such as family counselling and drug rehabilitation, will be drawn up with young offenders to allow them to take responsibility for their actions and to tackle the problems that have led them to offend. If the young offenders complete the programme the conviction will be considered spent - if not, they will be referred back to court.

The team is keen to recruit people aged under 25 as well as members of ethnic-minority communities.

Bradford Council leader, Councillor Margaret Eaton said: "This is a real opportunity for local people to make the district a safer place and to help prevent young people getting into a life of crime."

Anyone interested in training to sit on a panel should contact Bradford Youth Offending Team on (01274) 584419.