Burnley groups unite to achieve Prince Charles' vision (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Burnley groups unite to achieve Prince Charles' vision

7:20pm Tuesday 25th November 2008 in

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COUNCIL chiefs and police have vowed to keep on fighting to achieve Prince Charles’ vision of a better Burnley.

Members of Lancashire Police and Burnley Council joined together to celebrate three years of working as the Multi-Agency Problem Sol-ving Team (MAPS) to cut down on yob behaviour and help young people in the town get a start in life.

And they were joined by representatives from the Prince of Wales’ charities, including Dame Julia Cleverdon, vice-president of Business in the Community, one of the Prince’s Charities.

She said: “The Prince of Wales came up here to Burnley earlier this year and said we could do more to help and that was the starting moment.

“Over the last nine months, with the council, we have tried to bring together what the charities have to offer.

“We want to inspire young people.”

Since MAPS was formed in 2005, police and council officers have worked tog-ether to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in a bid to speed up Burnley’s regen-eration.

It has included tackling communities’ problems with mini-motos and yobs, offering advice on sexual health, getting skills or into work.

Now they have been joined by the Prince’s Charities, which specialise in helping young people, and the army.

Burnley Council chief executive Steve Rumbelow said MAPS was about offering “tough love” through, for example, cracking down on truancy and domestic violence and offering ‘restorative justice’ to offenders and victims.

He added: “The council has long had the view that we have got to support young people and families to try and make them the best that they can be.

“We are serious about that but if people don’t accept that support then we will take action against them too.

“It is very much about getting people to change their behaviour.”

MAPS was also backed by Supt Sarah Oldham, from Burnley police, who said it was about a “co-ordinated approach”.

In August, the Lancashire Telegraph revealed how Prince Charles had made Burnley his number one priority after ordering the Prince’s Trust, his flagship charity, to support the town’s youngsters and boost regeneration.