A Devon initiative in which young people are encouraged to visit local leisure centres on Friday nights has been hailed as a success after new figures show a significant reduction in youth related crime across the district in the period since the project started.

The VIBE Youth Leisure Nights project is run by Tone Leisure - a social enterprise and charitable trust which operates leisure centres on behalf of South Hams District Council - in partnership with Devon County Council's Youth Services. It operates in four of Tone's leisure centres in the South Hams district of Devon and is an open access programme for young people aged between 11 and 19.

For an entrance fee of £2 they can take part in a host of sporting and social activities on a Friday night, which encourage them to spend their time positively and achieve healthy lifestyles. Activities include football, trampolining, swimming, gym, inflatable games, basketball, musical events and much more. There are also health workshops such as stopping smoking, sexual health, and drug and alcohol awareness.

The initiative, which began in 2006 after a successful pilot scheme in 2004, has been supported by police in the district who say Youth Leisure Nights are helping to keep young people off the streets and out of trouble. "Since the VIBE project began in 2006, the district's youth crime statistics have, in the main, shown a reduction in the types of offences associated with large congregations of young people centred in the area's market towns in the evening" commented PC Michael Elliott from Devon and Cornwall Police.

In one of the district's main towns, Totnes, figures from November 2008-October 2009 show that criminal damage committed by people aged 16 and under has reduced by over 58 per cent since 2005-6 and more recently, assaults committed by the same age group have reduced by 37 per cent between 2007-8 and 2008-9.

In nearby Dartmouth, the 2005-6 and 2008-9 figures show a 50 per cent drop in both the number of assaults and public order crimes committed by those aged 16 and under, whilst criminal damage caused by that age group has completely ceased, with no recorded incidents between November 2008 and October 2009.

In another of the district's towns, Kingsbridge, assaults have fallen by over 44 per cent since the 2005-6 figures, and public order offences by over a third. The town of Ivybridge has also posted impressive figures, with assaults having been reduced by 92 per cent from 2005-6 to 2008-9, and criminal damage and public order offences diminishing by 74 per cent and 75 per cent respectively over the same period.

"The Youth Leisure Nights are really well attended - we have up to 130 people along on some nights - and our staff are able to engage with the young people on a positive basis," commented Joel Chapman, commercial director at Tone Leisure.

"Our remit was to come up with programmes that reduce crime and antisocial behaviour whilst encouraging exercise and productive activity in young people. The feedback we've had from our attendees is that they appreciate having a cheap, accessible place to go where they can socialise with their friends and take part in a variety of activities without feeling preached at. The advice on issues like smoking, drugs and sexual health is there and many do make use of it, but the main driver is to help them spend their time productively. We're delighted that the district's crime figures show that the efforts of all the parties involved, including the young people themselves, are working. Tone is passionate about sports and leisure, and the many ways it can engage with people of all ages to improve their lives - this scheme is a reflection of that ethos working at its best."

Commenting on the latest youth-related crime statistics, Jonathan Scott of Devon County Council's Youth Service suggests that the new figures are significant but adds there are also other important measures of success for the VIBE project: "These new statistics are an important indicator of the success of the Youth Leisure Nights in the county. Since our pilot scheme in 2004, young people from market towns and surrounding villages have benefited from things to do, places to go and people to talk to on Friday evenings, which has led to a positive impact on their communities and a reduction in incidents of anti-social behaviour. Another significant measure of success is attendance - we've had more than 7,000 attendances in the last year at the four leisure centres offering the Friday night sessions. New friendships have been made amongst the young people, and new relationships built between them and the staff. Many have never come to any Youth Service activity before, so this is a major achievement. The Youth Leisure Nights scheme is an important gateway to the Youth Service and encourages healthy lifestyle choices and regular use of leisure centres throughout the rest of the week."