More young people are robbery victims

Just weeks after a survey carried out by a student found that many Aireborough teenagers lived in fear of older youths, police in the area have revealed that a high proportion of reported robberies have been attacks on young people.

Divisional commander Superintendent Francis Habgood said there were few armed hold-ups or attacks on adults in the division.

But he said many of robberies reported to police had involved youths picking on other young people - often stealing their schoolbag or mobile phone.

Police are now keen to encourage crime prevention among young people, in particular watching over their mobile phone.

Community safety inspector Joe Napoli, of Weetwood Police, said theft by young people from other young people had become a nationally-recognised trend.

"It would help if young people kept their mobile phones out of view, and kept hold of their purses," he said.

A survey of young people carried out by a student on behalf of Aireborough Community Involvement Team, recently found that many were afraid of older youths, and of violence on the streets. The same survey estimated that around 70 per cent of young people in the area owned mobile phones.

The chairman of Guiseley Youth Project, John Moorhouse, said young people might not be reporting all thefts and attacks to the police, because of embarrassment, or because they did not class it as robbery. He had heard of such attacks on youths.

"They don't always realise the significance of what's happened to them, until they get home, and their parents find out," he said.

One of Guiseley Youth Project's aims is to stop the escalation of 'laddish' and bullying behaviour into criminal behaviour, by providing young people with worthwhile activities as a diversion.

Insp Napoli said police officers visited schools in Horsforth, Aireborough and the Otley area to talk to young people about the idea of 'citizenship', and to help them recognise that criminal behaviour was not acceptable in society.