Sporting drive sees drop in crime for Olympic borough It is one month since London won the right to stage the 2012 Olympics and already the landscape is changing. Construction has begun on a showpiece swimming pool and work will soon commence to bury power lines beneath the east London site earmarked for the main stadium. But those who won the right to stage the Olympic Games are also quietly celebrating the emergence of a less obvious but more significant benefit. It is, perhaps, Britain’s first real Olympic dividend. As part of the winning bid, officials emphasised the social benefits of sport. Up to £1m of government money was spent encouraging youngsters in east London to engage in physical activities and over 64,000 young people took part in 26 different Olympic activities. This has left Newham, one of the host Olympic boroughs, with more agile children, but the issue exciting administrators and government ministers alike is the fact that the ongoing drive to promote sport also seems to have brought about a dramatic reduction in crime. In the past year, the number of young people in the borough making a first court appearance to face criminal charges has dropped by 25%. This compares with a 1% reduction in other parts of London. Overall the figures for juvenile court appearances in Newham, including those by first time and repeat offenders, are down 38%. For the most part young people have volunteered to take part in extra free sporting activities, including canoeing, fencing, swimming, horse riding, gymnastics, football and cycling. But some have been referred by youth offending teams in the borough.
Hugh Muir, Monday August 8, 2005, The Guardian HHmmmmmm! Ed.
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