NEWS AND EVENTS

CHANGE IN ACTION
by PC Dave Velente,
Warwickshire Police

It is estimated that 10% of the active offender population commit half of all crime, and that a very small proportion (0.5%) of these offenders are responsible for one in ten offences. Society and the justice system does its best to address this problem and to alter the behaviour of those committing crime, but bringing about lasting change is no easy task and often fails.

As a Police Officer, I know that names and faces of offenders become a familiar sight, as they're suspected, arrested, charged, sent to court and sometimes prison. Then when released the same cycle often occurs again and again over many years.

Last week, myself and several colleagues were assisting Probation staff at an Approved Premises. (Some offenders, when released from prison, go to "Approved Premises" where they live with strict licence conditions and supervision, such as curfews, drug testing and staying crime free, to which they must adhere in order to avoid going back inside.) We were helping search all the residents rooms, with sniffer dogs, very early, at 6:30am, for any drugs. We didn’t find any, which in many ways is good news. We searched the room of a lad, aged 24, from Nuneaton. Those newly released from prison have minimal personal belongings, but I am struck by how all their belongings are always rather neatly set out, with each item in its place - toiletries, clothes, a few CD's etc - nothing dumped or scattered about the room. Among his belongings, this lad had two items of reading material set neatly aside on a small table top. One was a current ‘lads’ mag’, but placed on top of this was a half read copy of Richards Taylor’s book, ‘To Catch a Thief’!

I must admit, I was amazed to actually see a copy here, yet really pleased. He had no doubt picked it up in prison and brought it with him and was clearly still reading it! Praise God! I prayed there and then that Lord would bring about a lasting change in this young man’s heart.