Early intervention work is helping keep Islington youngsters away from the justice system, new figures show.
Targeted Youth Support (TYS) staff are working with a broader range of children aged 10 to 17 who need support, and are also getting kids off the streets by signposting youth services.
As a result, there were only 58 first time entrants into the youth justice system in 2018/19, down from 60 the previous year.
A council report says while minor the drop is significant in the context of rising serious youth violence across London.
The number of young people "triaged" who are diverted away from the justice system stands at 83 per cent. The report said TYS staff will now work in areas where there has been a serious incident. "There was an increased focus on providing support to young people in the Cally area due to the fatal stabbing of a young person [Nedim Bilgin]," it explained.
The number of youngsters reoffending has also dropped from 54pc to 45pc.
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