A leap of faith to break the cycle of criminality

A large round table is set up at the far end of a vast hall in Empire Fighting Chance.

A young man crosses the room to meet with a panel of serious-faced individuals.

The setting is imposing and the walk is not an easy one for the teenager to make, but this moment is one that could change the course of his life.

Arrested for drug offences, the young man faces a custodial sentence, but the police officers and respected community figures are there to offer him an alternative.

A bold pilot scheme aimed at reducing gang, drug and violent crime in east Bristol seeks to divert those at the bottom of the chain away from the cycle of criminality by giving them the opportunity to take part in the Call In, an intense six-month course.

Drugs and associated violent crime represent the greatest challenge to both the police and communities here.

Gang members prey on young people, offering money, opportunities and a ‘family’ network, yet those at the bottom of the rung who take all the risks to peddle illegal substances on the street are treated as dispensable. Arrest one and two more will take their place the next day, with little disruption to the chain of business.

The story is not a new one but, recognising a different approach was needed, Avon and Somerset police launched the Call In programme early this year, the first of its kind at this scale in the country.

Hepburn Road, just off Stokes Croft, was branded Crack Alley in BBC documentary Drugsland

“We can’t keep doing the same things and arrest our way out of these problems,” says neighbourhood sergeant Chris Green, who has worked the patch for years.

“They are really integrated, structural problems. We need the community to have trust in us. You can’t police your way out of serious violence.”

He stresses there will always be a role for enforcement because “that’s how you keep communities safe” but also reflects on the wasted lives of those who end up in the criminal justice system.

“Before we had the Call In, we had a ‘one size fits all’ model and they would go to prison and come out as better drug dealers,” says Chris, speaking to Bristol24/7 on a bench by the mesh fence surrounding Empire’s premises on Lower Ashley Road.

Looking out over the area, the sergeant knows all too well the problems and lives destroyed by the drugs trade.

The Call In programme is about creating opportunities and giving people a second chance. Its social and economic impact is being documented by UWE Bristol and could set a precedent for similar initiatives across the city and nationwide.

It draws on evidence from similar pilots in North Carolina, and Brixton, both of which successfully reduced re-offending rates and violent crime, but it is not without risk.

The police know it will be on their heads if a person on the programme goes on to commit a more serious offence. This leap of faith is a move they hope will pay off for all in the long run.

Back inside the hall at Empire one sunny summer Thursday morning, detective superintendent Gary Haskins is talking to the prospective new Call In recruit about the situation he is in.

“The impact of your actions are huge but I’m told you are someone who will benefit from the Call In,” he tells the teenager.

“This is about the future, it’s about giving you an opportunity to better yourself and right the wrongs you have done in the past.”

The panel includes the police officers, Pastor Ray, a respected community representative, and Maya Mate-Kole from Golden Key, who grew up in the area and is coordinating the programme. Facing them, the young man said things changed for him on the day he was arrested.

He pledges to commit to the Call In programme and – shaking hands with each person around the table – he walks out with his head held high.

It is only the start of the work and not everyone will make it through without re-offending, but Gary admits that if even one young person is saved from a life of criminality, the programme will have been a success.

The Call In comes against a backdrop of years of mistrust between the force and communities of east Bristol – particularly residents who are black or minority ethnic (BME).

Series of police raids and operations over the years have failed to stem the flow of drugs – and the process of enforcement and locking people away comes at a cost.

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Read more: Will it ever end?

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The force estimates the price of imprisoning one person in the UK, including police, court process and associated costs, is £65,000. In costs a further £40,000 for each year they spend incarcerated.

This bold new approach is about building bridges and preventing crime.

Amy Newcombe says the programme is about instilling confidence and self belief in young people

For Amy Newcombe, one of the Call In mentors, it’s just about giving people a chance.

“A lot of young people have no self-worth and no self-confidence,” she says.

“They are people who were just not shown an alternative before. That’s all it really takes is showing them there are options, but also giving them confidence and self-belief to do things differently.

“It’s effectively grooming what these older people do to kids on the street. They make them feel like they are loved and part of this family. The kids are seeking that love and so when someone offers them an alternative, they go for it.

“All of these young people have done one stupid thing and that could have changed their lives forever and this is giving them one chance. They are all fantastic kids. They have got so much about them and it would be so detrimental to them to go down the criminal justice route.”

Meeting in St Paul’s Community Sports Academy, near where she grew up, the 31-year-old says she has seen the effects of drug dealing in her community and believes the Call In is something that can really make a difference.

Xavier Anderson says it’s important for young people to have positive role models

Speaking about his own experience, mentor Xavier Anderson says he grew up in a similar area in London and understands the journey of these young people.

“Mine was not much different but I got a few breaks along the way,” he says.

“If it had gone a different way, things could have turned out very differently for me. You see your mum struggling and it is pressure to get out and find money. People on the street offer family and protection.”

Xavier, 28, now lives in St Paul’s and works for KPMG. He says it’s important for him to give back and for young people to see positive role models and be shown there is an alternative to making money illegally on the streets.

The young people enrolled on the Call In programme are teamed up with mentors and commit to taking part in a series of workshops, courses and activities – including boxing and sessions with Street2Boardroom, a social enterprise that demonstrates how skills learned on the street can be utilised in the workplace.

Provided they complete the programme without re-offending, they walk away without a criminal record and with new opportunities.

Mohamed Hassan says everyone deserves a second chance

Mohamed Hassan, 34, another Call In mentor, has done some interpretation work in the criminal justice system and seen first hand the effects on those caught up in the process.

“I have seen young people regretting their actions when they are going through the criminal justice system,” he tells Bristol24/7.

“Some of them had not really realised the consequences, they were just going with the flow and giving into peer pressure. Everyone deserves a second chance.

“Studies have shown that criminalising young people and sending them to prison is not helpful because who are they going to meet in prison? People who are worse than them. We are not giving them anything positive. Some of them already have quite a lot of knowledge of what prison is like in this country.”

Mohamed adds: “This [the Call In] is really what we should be doing from the start, not criminalising people from a young age.”

Six months in and the journey has been a learning curve for all involved. It is a short time to help turn the tide on a lifetime of societal issues and the need for citywide support to provide alternative opportunities for these young people is pressing.

However, the programme is already making a difference.

“I would probably have been in jail now so it’s not certain I could have turned things around any other way,” says James*, who was arrested for drugs offences and enrolled on the Call In six months ago.

Speaking about his arrest, he says: “At the beginning I was distraught. I didn’t know what to expect, it’s not like just taking an apple from a fruit market. All the people going on that course don’t have any sense of direction – we are so profit obsessed that that’s all you think about.”

Knowing how close he was to a life of criminality, James has been determined to make the most of this opportunity. He says there isn’t a single person who hasn’t benefitted and grown from the programme.

Talking to Bristol24/7 after work one evening, James* talks with confidence about his aspirations for the future.

It is his account of why he took to selling drugs in the first place that is perhaps most revealing.

“A lack of opportunities, association with certain crowds and also the stigma facing me all contributed to me selling drugs,” he tells Bristol24/7.

“People don’t see me, they see a young, mixed race person with an afro. I was smashing out CVs and I was just not getting any opportunities.

“If someone had given me a job and a chance sooner, I would never have got arrested. One of the reasons could have been frustration with the system – that’s why I lost the ambition to go down the legit route.

“It’s also me being too smart for my own good. Street2Boardroom taught me that. I already know how to buy, sell and market. We can’t keep having people with good capabilities who try and try, and no one offers them any opportunities.”

Asher Craig and Helen Godwin are calling on the city to step up and provide opportunities for young people

The programme could change everything, but it can only go so far without sustained support.

“It offers that first step away from a life of crime and violence but unless there are key changes to make opportunities for these young people, it can only go so far,” says Helen Godwin, Bristol City Council’s cabinet member for women and young people.

Along with deputy mayor Asher Craig, she has been behind the Call In’s preventative approach from the start.

“We have to not just offer self-worth and support and mentoring, but also economic evidence.”

Asher says the next step is hugely important, and it requires Bristol’s businesses and institutions taking a chance on young people who have had very little opportunity in their lives.

“In January, we made this a priority for the city and we will take positive action, we need to lead by example,” says Asher.

“It was a big shift for the police, who have bought into the fact this is a public health approach because violent crime is a disease.”

She says the Call In is a model that should be rolled out to other parts of the city, adding: “We will continue to take a leap of faith. Now we need the city to step up to support these people away from a life of crime or even worse.”

Maya Mate-Kole says the growth in confidence of those enrolled in the Call In speaks for itself

‘There are contributing factors to this sort of offending so it’s about providing an alternative’

Few people involved in the Call In have invested as much in the young people as Maya Mate-Kole.

Reflecting on the past six months, Maya tells Bristol24/7 the growth in confidence of those enrolled on the programme speaks for itself.

“There is not one single person who says they don’t want to work and aspire to have a house and family. Our work is to build confidence, it’s keeping on saying ‘we see your potential – the sky’s the limit’.

“Even when they slip up, it’s about reinforcing that. These are messages these young people do not often get from society. They are told they are trouble makers and it’s our role to show them someone does care about them.

“Not every person who has gone on this programme will never offend again, but it’s about what we have instilled in them and also about ensuring that person isn’t just dropped.

“One of our young people had no real education or activities in his life so to see him try things he has never tried before, to be able to open their eyes to things they might never have experienced and push them – I think we underestimate the importance in that. We are talking about kids who have witnessed violence and six months is a very short time to do that.

“Just to turn up to a panel with other people is a huge step.”

Maya says she would love to see the Call In programme rolled out across the city, but stresses that the key to success lies in genuine community engagement and recruiting mentors who understand the area and the issues faced.

“For young people it means a lot to have someone who understands where they have come from so it’s important to say this is not a blanket model.”

Maya adds: “There are contributing factors to this sort of offending so it’s about providing an alternative. We need businesses to step up and offer opportunities, and not just for the Call In kids either.

“These young people have the skills – they have a lot to offer and it’s our responsibility to step up and not just look at the crisis side but look at what the barriers are. What are we doing to create change as a city?”

*Name has been changed to protect the person’s anonymity.

Read more: ‘It’s not where you’re from that counts, it’s where you’re going’