Govan’s newest £150,000 tool to combat youth disorder was officially launched at the Digital Media Centre in Brand Street.

Govan Initiative and Strathclyde Police teamed up to talk about the CRE8 ‘interactive multimedia vehicle’, a Citroen van modified to carry the latest PC and gaming equipment.

It is hoped that by taking the van, the first of its kind in Strathclyde, into ‘hotspots’ of youth disorder and anti-social behaviour, local children and teenagers will use it as an alternative to street scuffles and worse.

Chief Superintendent Robin Howe, divisional commander for the Southside, told the LOCAL NEWS, ‘Through analytical work we can identify troubled areas, then go into that area with the van. This not only reduces youth offences but also engages the youngsters. It’s a major diversionary tactic that I would like to see expanded throughout the Southside. The most important thing is that the kids love it and the queues outside it on a Saturday night show that.’

A DVD of local youths using the van was shown at the launch. User Grant (13) said, ‘You make more pals and it keeps you off the street. I like playing the games on the X-Box and accessing the Internet.’

Govan Initiative’s new Chief Executive Alison Sinclair said, ‘This is a terrific collaboration between Govan Initiative and Strathclyde Police. By being able to engage with Govan’s young people in their own environment we can introduce them to the range of education and training programmes we offer at Govan Initiative. The response in the community so far has been terrific.’

The CRE8 van is being used to tackle what Alison called the ‘NEET Agenda’, the number of 15-19 year-olds Not in Employment, Education or Training. There are 35,000 such teenagers in Scotland, accounting for 13% of that age group. In Glasgow the proportion is 19%.