BURY'S persistent young offenders are to be targeted in a new initiative to curb their criminal activities.

And the stark warning to them is to stop offending or face the consequences.

The Youth Justice Board's Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP) for Bury and Manchester has been launched by Home Office Minister Keith Bradley.

The Youth Justice Board has invested nearly £1.5 million over three years in the Bury and Manchester scheme as part of an overall investment of £4.5 million to establish ISSP across Greater Manchester.

Costing £45 million over three years up and down the country, ISSP forms a key part of the Government's strategy for targeting the small group of persistent offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. ISSP as a national initiative is in part drawn from a scheme initially pioneered in Bury and Manchester which linked targeted policing with intensive support, thus bringing a carrot and stick approach to work with the most prolific offenders.

Given that three per cent of offenders are known to be responsible for up to a quarter of youth crime, any success with targeted young people could be expected to offer considerable reductions in crime.

The supervision element ISSP involves at least 25 hours contact time, including evenings and weekends, over the first three months.

The programme takes in a number of core elements including education and training, interventions to tackle offending, and reparation to victims and the community.

Some of the surveillance element continues to be offered by the police, but under ISSP this is backed up by Securicor, which has been contracted to undertake a number of specific tasks, such as the use of electronic tags and voice recognition technology to monitor compliance with curfews imposed under the scheme.

The challenge for those placed on the scheme is to desist from offending or face the consequences.

Bury's Youth Offending Team manager, Graham Smyth, said: "ISSP is a new string to our bow in which we are pleased to be joining together with Manchester YOT.

"It gives us an ideal opportunity to get to grips with the young people who are committing most of the crime in Bury and in Manchester.

"If we can get it right, this will make a real difference to them, and to the community at large."