THE men and women who steer North Yorkshire youngsters away from a life of crime have won top marks in an annual inspection.

The county’s Youth Justice Service (YTS) was rated among the best in the country.

When inspectors spoke to 39 youngsters, 86 per cent said they were less likely to commit crimes in future as a result of the work done with them by the YJS. Victims of crime by children were less satisfied, but seven out of 11 victims said they had benefited from work done by the youngster who had offended against them.

The inspection team highlighted areas where the service could tighten up its performance even further, including making sure their assessments of the risk young offenders pose to others and the youngsters’ own vulnerability were based on the most up-to-date information.

Steve Walker, service manager for Selby and Scarborough areas including Ryedale, said: “North Yorkshire Youth Justice Service is delighted by this excellent outcome, which has been earned by the hard work and professionalism of our team, working closely with other partners to support and manage young people who are in trouble with the law.

We are not resting on our laurels, and an improvement plan will shortly be finalised by our management board to set out where we will build upon this success, to protect our local communities and promote good outcomes for young people.”

County Councillor Caroline Patmore, executive member for youth justice, said the report “demonstrates the professionalism, commitment, and dedication of a service which works in a determined way to help youngsters who fall foul of the law, and to protect members of the public.”

Liz Calderbank, assistant chief inspector, called the report on North Yorkshire YJS a “very creditable set of findings”.

The clean bill of health comes only two months after the York Youth Offending Team got a similar report from the same inspectors.

North Yorkshire YJS prepares reports for judges and magistrates on children under 18 who commit crimes, oversees their sentences and works with them to try and stop them offending in future.