POLICE are launching a new drive to stop young people in the North-East being dragged into organised crime gangs that bring “misery” to the region.

Northumbria Police has secured £67,500 of Home Office funding to set up a programme designed to stop the siblings, relatives, or associates of criminals from “slipping into criminality” themselves.

Assistant Chief Constable Helen Mcmillan said the scheme — which will including mentoring services — will be particularly targeted at family members.

She said: “Serious and organised crime is corrosive and brings misery to families across our region.

“As a result, tackling highly sophisticated groups that infiltrate our communities and undermine our society is a priority for the force.

“Quite often the siblings, relatives or associates of criminals who operate in these groups are at significant risk of being drawn into a similar line of organised criminality.

“This Home Office funding will enable Northumbria Police and our partners to deliver an innovative, multi-agency diversion programme designed to prevent young people, especially those at greatest risk through their familial links, from slipping into criminality.

“We are working with The Enthusiasm Trust, a charity who have worked with several Forces across the country to help divert young people away from a potential life of crime, to deliver bespoke interventions aimed at targeted individuals from our region who have been identified as ‘at risk’.

“Such interventions will include one-to-one mentoring, specialist learning workshops, parental engagement and a range of other planned activities to broaden the skills, opportunities and horizons of those young people.”

Earlier this summer, Supt Steve Barron told councillors in Newcastle that gang crime was an emerging problem in the city that officers are working to tackle, though organised crime was more prevalent in other major UK cities.

He told an overview and scrutiny committee that two “urban street gangs” are operating in Newcastle city centre and the east end.

ACC Mcmillan added: “We anticipate that the work of this group will go on to reach and benefit the wider communities of Northumbria for years to come.

“By improving vulnerable individuals’ life prospects and opening up legitimate career prospects, we believe we can prevent their pathway into serious organised crime.”