An anti-crime team is being formed in Bradford to try to keep young people on the right side of the law.

The multi-agency Youth Offending Team is one of the first in the country and is a direct response to the Government's new Crime and Disorder Act.

The team will draw on the expertise of organisations such as the police and probation service, Bradford Council, health service staff and teachers.

The main areas of focus will be:

l Getting young people to make amends to their victims and local community.

l Involving victims more in the process of how young offenders are dealt with.

l Encouraging young offenders and their parents to take responsibility for their actions and behaviour.

Recruitment for the Bradford team is now underway and Paul O'Hara, who manages the Council's Social Services Youth Justice section, has been appointed team manager.

He said: "The team faces an important task. Tackling youth crime is a key part of tackling community safety in the district. Our main emphasis will be getting involved at an early stage with young people who are getting into trouble. Early intervention means we can provide early help and hopefully steer them away from offending."

He added: "But we also want to ensure that the victims are not overlooked and part of our approach will be to confront young offenders about their behaviour and the effect it has on both the people concerned and the wider community."

It is hoped the rest of the team will be recruited in time to be working by April - a year ahead of the deadline set by the Government.

The Crime and Disorder Act places a duty on all agencies, including local authorities and police, to work together in an effort to cut crime and make districts safer.

The Home Office is paying particular attention to the Bradford schemes to help to identify the best ways of tackling crime in local communities.

The team will report to the newly created Bradford and District Multi-Agency Youth Justice Board - headed by the Council's acting chief executive, Philip Robinson - but will maintain their current links.

Council leader Ian Greenwood said: "Youth crime was one of the areas included in the Crime and Disorder Audit covering the whole district and the new team will be part of the joint strategy being drawn up to tackle anti-social and criminal behaviour."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.