Children who commit crime in Coventry could be forced to face up to their victim as part of a new crackdown on offending in the city.

A multi-agency Youth Offending Team is being launched today to try and dissuade the youngsters from a life of crime.

Social services, the police, probation, education, health, court and voluntary groups have all joined forced to work with the 1,100 youngsters aged between 10 and 17 who are arrested each year.

It is part of a national scheme to make youngsters come to terms with the crimes they have committed.

The new team in Coventry will introduce several initiatives to try and reduce the amount of crime.

These include:

• Reducing the length of time between arrest and intervention by the agencies to cut down offending.
• Running a bail assessment and supervision scheme which aims to ensure young people do not re-offend while on bail
• A programme targeting 50 young people at significant risk of offending or re-offending, providing at least ten hours of constructive programmes a week designed to divert offending behaviour.

Rose Ruddick, head of youth offending services at Coventry City Council said the team would also be focusing on the needs and wishes of the victims.

Young offenders will have to face up to the consequences of their actions and could even come face-to-face with their victims.

Five new orders can be made by courts after they were introduced today by the youth Justice Board.

They are:

• A final warning, which replaces a caution, after which the offender faces prosecution
• Reparation Orders, which can involve a letter of apology, apologising in person, cleaning graffiti or repairing damage
• Action Plan orders, which are community-based intensive programme
• Child Safety order to protect children under the age of ten
• Parenting orders to give parent s support and help them control the behaviour of their children.