Early Intervention in Action: Collaborative Youth Work Delivers Measurable Reductions at Brighton Marina
Over the last year, a quieter shift has been taking place at Brighton Marina, one rooted in early intervention, partnership, and shared responsibility.
Marina partners have recently shared their 2025 year-end figures with the Brighton Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP), providing an opportunity to reflect on the impact of collaborative work with Trust for Developing Communities (TDC) and local policing teams. When compared with 2024, the data shows substantial reductions across key youth-related indicators, reinforcing the value of a prevention-focused, multi-agency approach.
Year-end figures comparing 2025 with 2024 show substantial reductions across several key indicators, demonstrating the impact of prevention-focused, multi-agency working when concerns are addressed early and proportionately.
Like-for-like data shows:
A 15.6% reduction in security incidents, decreasing from 1,876 to 1,583
A 55.5% reduction in the number of young people removed from the Marina, down from 693 to 308
A 69% reduction in “Nothing to Report” youth call-outs, falling from 475 to 146
These outcomes reflect a shift away from reactive responses towards early identification, coordinated support, and targeted intervention, ensuring concerns are addressed before behaviours escalate.
One Marina partners commented:
“These are fantastic improvements and really show that the collaborative approach works. The value of BCRP in assisting with this cannot be overstated.”
Traditionally, youth-related anti-social behaviour has been managed through enforcement-led responses — often resulting in repeated removals, displacement, or escalation without addressing underlying needs.
A day of action in October: some of the key partnerships the BCRP work with on our Early Intervention Partnership.
The Early Intervention Youth Plan takes a different approach. By enabling information sharing between businesses, youth services, police, schools and community partners, concerns can be assessed in context and responded to in ways that prioritise safeguarding, diversion, and long-term change.
This has helped reduce repeat incidents, unnecessary enforcement, and demand on frontline services — while creating safer environments for businesses, residents, and young people alike.
The reductions seen at Brighton Marina are not just about fewer incidents on paper. They represent:
Fewer young people entering enforcement pathways unnecessarily
Reduced disruption for businesses and security teams
Better use of police and partner resources
Earlier support for young people experiencing vulnerability or emerging risk
Crucially, the data shows that early, coordinated action works, not just for one agency, but for the whole community.
Building on What Works
BCRP will continue to work with partners across the city to apply the learning from this work, strengthening early-intervention pathways and ensuring businesses remain part of the solution.
The Early Intervention Youth Plan is about reducing harm, not criminalising young people, and about creating environments where support is available before problems escalate.
As this work continues, BCRP remains committed to building safer, more resilient communities through prevention, partnership, and proportionate response.