Bradford Youth Offending Team has received extra funding to bolster a scheme aimed at tackling street crime and cutting the number of youths re-offending across the district.

The Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme, started across Bradford last month, aims to keep young criminals busy with a demanding timetable of activities.

It has previously been used as part of community sentences but magistrates and judges could now make bail conditional upon offenders becoming involved in the programme.

The expansion has been backed up with a £312,500 grant from the Youth Justice Board.

The scheme provides a 25-hour weekly timetable with activities for offenders targeted towards education and training for work.

Councillor David Ward, Bradford Council's executive member for education, said: "This is great news. It should help stop young offenders re-offending and give them a positive push back into education or work."

Each offender on the programme is closely monitored using methods such as electronic tagging, voice verification phone calls and regular contact with outreach workers.

Staff at the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, Britain's biggest youth justice national charity, are working with Bradford Youth Offending Team to identify young offenders who meet the criteria and recommend to the courts that the programme is included as part of court bail conditions.

Paul O'Hara, head of the Bradford Youth Offending Team, said: "Targeting street crime is a priority for all agencies across Bradford. The expansion of this scheme to bail cases means more young offenders in Bradford will be closely monitored"

Youngsters who have been involved in four or more offending episodes in the preceding 12 months or have a history of offending on bail could be ordered to take part in the scheme. It could also apply to those who have breached their existing bail conditions.

Chief Inspector David Young, Bradford's district community safety officer, said: "This scheme is recognised as being a successful alternative to custody."