£12m sport scheme to reduce inner city crime

Children from run-down inner city estates are to be encouraged to play sport in the Government's latest initiative to tackle street crime.

Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, will today unveil a £12 million programme to give children the opportunity to play sport and take part in artistic activities during the school summer holidays.

The Summer Splash scheme, funded by the National Lottery's New Opportunities Fund, will concentrate on estates with a serious problem with young offenders.

The Government hopes that by expanding the number of projects across the country from 65 to nearly 600 they will keep nearly 50,000 potential young offenders off the streets. Jowell said: "The Splash scheme works. On the estates that ran schemes during summer 2000, there was a 36 per cent reduction in domestic burglary and an 18 per cent reduction in 'youth crime' in the area.

"This compares with a reduction of just six per cent and eight per cent respectively in similar high crime areas. These schemes don't cost the Earth either. Each activity costs an average of just £2.87 an hour for each young person.

"This is amazing value for money when you consider the social and emotional cost of crime."

The scheme is open to children aged from nine to 17 and will offer a wide range of activities from football to tennis and abseiling.

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