A CENTRE fighting to cut the amount of crime caused by young people has been given a technological boost.

The Kirklees Youth Offending Team has spent £6,000 on six new computers for the Dewsbury Junior Mixed Attendance Centre.

It meets in The Church of the Nazarene in Dewsbury town centre.

Howard Fanning, the officer in charge, said the new IT suite would be a great boost in helping his 10-strong team get youngsters back on the right track.

He said the computers would teach the youngsters new skills.

More than 150 offenders, aged from 10 to 18, attend the centre once a fortnight to take part in activities such as driver education, victim awareness, first aid, citizenship skills and personal health.

The offenders, who come from Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Pontefract, have been convicted of crimes such as shoplifting, assault and criminal damage.

Mr Fanning said: "Our primary objective is to address the person's offending behaviour. The attendance centre is not a soft option.

"The punishment is the loss of liberty. If people don't attend we take them back to court, where they will be dealt with firmly."

In the past youngsters at such centres performed mindless tasks such as disinfecting coal, said Mr Fanning.

"Now, young people can acquire new skills and are fed messages to turn them from crime," he said.

"At the same time, we work very hard to reduce offending behaviour and address the needs of the victim."