A GLASGOW project has cut the number of crimes by persistent young offenders involved in gang violence.

The Includem charity works with dozens of teenagers in the East End as part of an initiative known as Impact.

The number of crimes committed by the 14 to 21-year-olds involved in the project fell by 50% in six months, according to a new report released yesterday.

The charity targets young people in Glasgow and aims to reduce prolific, violent and often alcohol-related offending by changing attitudes and behaviours.

Funded by the Scottish Government and Glasgow Community Planning Partnership, it spends around £250 supporting each young person.

In contrast, it costs around £620 a week to keep a teenager behind bars, according to Includem.

Breach of the peace, consumption of alcohol in public and threatening and abusive behaviour are among the most common offences committed by young people with which the charity works.

However, 38% of their crimes involve violence, with many charged with serious assault, police assault, abduction, and weapon possession.

An independent study of Includem's Impact Project, released yesterday, found the scheme they halved the number of crimes committed by participants.

Includem Chief Executive Angela Morgan said: "This report shows that, for the most challenging young people in our communities, there is a way out of violent offending.

"Through our concentrated work, the research shows that offending rates have gone down and in particular violent offending, delivering significant cost savings to society but more importantly offering young people a positive future."

The figures were revealed on the same day as the Scottish Government announced that crime in Scotland has fallen to its lowest level since 1974.

There were a total of 270,397 crimes recorded in 2013-14, down 1% from 273,053 the previous year.

Violent crime dropped 10% to 6785, while murders and culpable homicides fell to 61 from 65.

Ms Morgan added: "Crime may be at a 40 year low across Scotland, but in many places violence still blights entire communities and early intervention like Impact is more important than ever."

Speaking after the Scottish crime figures were released, Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Steve House said: "The past two years has seen the biggest structural change to how policing is delivered in more than a generation.

"These figures demonstrate that our performance has remained strong throughout that period, the number of people becoming victims of crime continues to fall and that those who commit crime are more likely than ever to be caught."

peter.swindon@eveningtimes.co.uk