This idea reversed Scotland’s rising youth crime rate. Jacinta Allan wants to bring it to Victoria

A specialist crime reduction body will attempt to curb escalating levels of violent youth crime by focusing on early intervention and placing at-risk children with reformed criminals-turned-mentors under a $27.5 million Labor plan.

The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) will work with schools, hospitals and employers to develop programs aimed at rehabilitating youth offenders and deterring them from committing crimes, drawing from a public health model that has been successful in Scotland.

The government is combining its “adult time for adult crime” policy with an early intervention program.Credit: Christopher Hopkins

The proposed body will analyse police intelligence to find and address the root causes of violent crime, streamline crime prevention programs across government, develop early intervention programs and engage directly with young offenders and communities affected by violence.

Youth offenders will also be able to more readily access lived-experience mentors, with funding expanded to pair troubled children with former offenders who transformed their lives and now work as crime specialists.

Premier Jacinta Allan said the Victorian unit would set young offenders on the straight and narrow.

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“When children commit brazen, violent crimes they should face serious consequences. But there are
no easy solutions, and the best approach is to intervene early and stop crime before it starts. We’re
doing both,” Allan said.

The VRU mirrors the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, which was established in 2005 and saw the country transform from the homicide capital of Western Europe to having no under-18s in jail.

In September, the two founders of the Scottish unit told The Age Victoria could reverse its rising youth crime rate by adopting the public-health approach.

“A Violence Reduction Unit worked overseas to reduce violent crime – and we’re bringing it to
Victoria. They call it the Scottish model, but in the years to come, I want them to call it the Victorian
model,” Allan said.

The first initiative the VRU will support is 16 Yards’ mentoring program. 16 Yards is an organisation that pairs at-risk children with reformed offenders to guide them away from crime.

“Lived-experience mentors show what’s possible when young people are supported by people who
have walked in their shoes,” said Youth Justice Minister Enver Erdogan. “That’s the type of intervention that changes lives, reduces offending and keeps the community safe.”

The announcement follows a series of tough-on-crime policies Labor revealed last week. On Wednesday, Allan announced a proposed law which would see children tried as adults in the courts for violent crimes, including home invasions and armed robbery.

Earlier in her term, Allan backed down on raising the age of criminal responsibility and tightened bail laws to make it easier for children to be remanded. In October Labor reopened Malmsbury youth prison just two years after shutting it down, citing rising youth crime.

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The latest Crime Statistics Agency data shows criminal offences across Victoria are at record highs. Recorded offences rose by more than 15 per cent in the year ending June 30, an increase of 86,587.

Youth crime has also surged, with 25,206 alleged incidents involving children aged 10–17 years in the same time period. This is up from 22,172 incidents the year prior, 19,340 in 2023 and 15,964 in 2022.

The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit saw violent crime fall almost immediately. There has been 60 per cent reduction in violent crime since its inception, with the greatest reduction taking place among younger age groups. The unit’s current deputy head said crime rates started falling after just a few years.

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