THE NUMBER of youngsters in the borough falling foul of the law for the first time dropped by nearly a quarter, new figures have revealed.

Data from Redbridge Council shows the number of young people entering the criminal justice system fell by 24 percent in April to September last year, compared to the previous six months.

The council has attributed the fall to a number of initiatives which have been set up to keep youngsters on the straight and narrow.

The schemes are designed to free up resources in the system so that higher-level crimes and offenders can be brought to justice more quickly.

One scheme, called Triage, was introduced in May this year and is aimed at helping under-18s who have been arrested and then admitted committing a low-level crime, such as shoplifting or possession of cannabis.

If they are deemed suitable for the scheme they are then referred to a Prevention Worker, who helps them plan ways to avoid re-offending, which can include activities such as community work or writing letters of apologies to their victims.

One 17-year-old who was helped by the scheme after being caught with cannabis said: “At the time I thought cannabis was really cool but now I realise it's not.

“I've let my family down and I feel bad about that. I'm glad I've been given a second chance. I want help to stop using cannabis because I lack the willpower to do it on my own.”