A COMMUNITY leader who has steered thousands of troubled youths away from crime believes more riots are on the way.

Mark Reynolds, founder of Rawthorpe Amateur Boxing Club (RABC), believes community cuts were responsible for the disorder which gripped English cities last week.

Huddersfield suffered several incidents of copycat violence and vandalism on Tuesday night, including the trashing of a Sheepridge working men’s club and looting of Huddersfield’s Asda store.

So far 11 people have been arrested in connection with the incidents.

Mr Reynolds, whose St Andrew’s Road club has helped 17,000 people in its 13 years, says there’ll be more trouble if the cuts continue.

And he’s called for all community agencies to work together to prevent young people slipping into trouble.

Mark said he felt ‘numbed’ and ‘dismayed’ by Tuesday’s disorder.

Mr Reynolds, whose club has been burgled four times in 12 months, said: “The cuts have caused this. It’s going to get worse, not overnight, but it will get worse.”

He added: “I thought it would only be the big cities. If the weather had been better it could have lasted a few nights.

“I believe it will happen again – I’m hearing things all the time. It’s terrible.”

Mr Reynolds believes the breakdown of families and the failure of social institutions are also responsible for feral young people destroying their communities.

He said: “They have no discipline. They don’t feel worthy inside themselves and they think: ‘If I can’t have something, why should anyone else?’”

Mark believes community groups are essential for reforming disillusioned young people who have been failed by parents, schools and the law.

But like RABC, they are expected to fund themselves.

Mr Reynolds said: “All those agencies think we do a great job but they won’t put their hands in their pockets.

“We’ve turned countless young people around. We really do try – but we could do so much more.”

Mark, believes the grass roots approach of his club has been the key to its success.

He said: “We want to starting linking in with schools and kids at risk from exclusion.

“I’ve worked with them and they engage with us because we do it a different way.

“We come from a different background from schools and the police. We’re from the estates and we wear both hats. We have the experience.”

RABC hosts a fundraising exhibition and champagne buffet at Grosvenor Casino on September 17 (8pm).

For details call Mark: 07747 846977 or email: mark.leftjab@hotmail.co.uk