A touch football program targeting youth offenders has made massive strides in less than eight months of operation, with over 50 per cent of participants now on the straight and narrow.
The police-run program, called R.E.A.P (Response Effort Attitude and Participation) the Rewards, was designed to re-engage local young people who had stopped attending school and reduce their offending.
Of the fifteen participants, including several serious repeat offenders, all but one has decreased their level of offending in the past four months.
Eight participants have stopped offending completely, while the remaining six decreased their offending in both severity and volume.
Senior Constable Luke Konstantinos, who helps run the program, said he had seen “encouraging changes” in the behaviour and interpersonal skills among the teenage participants.
“Some of these young people when they first started were defensive and reluctant to engage,” Senior Constable Konstantinos said.
“They’re now speaking respectfully, showing manners and have built positive relationships with police officers involved and connections to other support services and programs.”
He said many participants had also re-engaged with school.
“It is baby steps, but it’s in the right direction – and we have high hopes that these young people will keep up the good work, and contribute to our community,” he said.
“Some kids will come and go, but we have a core group that is coming every week now which is great to see.
“The program brings them a sense of community, which a lot of them don’t have when they’re at home or when they’re offending,”
Senior Constable Konstantinos said the program had positively impacted him too.
“It’s definitely nice to come from the other side of general police duties and see kids when they’re having fun and not at their worst,” he said.
One participant of the program has scored a job, and another has been referred to the NRL RISE program for young aspiring players.
The program began as an eight-week trial in June last year and has now been extended to a 20-week model.
It involves interactive sessions to teach at-risk youth the fundamentals of touch football and develop their decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
Community engagement acting superintendent Rob Fleischer said programs such as R.E.A.P the Rewards were crucial in changing the course for young offenders.
“This program allows us to intervene and positively influence young people at a critical period of their development,” Acting Superintendent Fleischer said.
“Positive intervention programs not only help halt young people from continuing down the wrong path but prevents the onset of adult offending, while reducing crime into the future to protect our communities.
“These results from the trial program are extremely promising, and I am looking forward to see the positive impact the program will continue to have for the Logan community.”
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