The target group includes children and young people between the ages of 8 and 15 who have come to the attention of the police due to violent acts and property crimes. Through close cooperation between the police and educational professionals, potential participants are identified with the help of a standardized screening process. If there is a high probability that the children and young people in question will slip further into crime, e.g. due to prevailing risk factors, participation in "Kurve kriegen" is offered. This is a voluntary measure.
The close networking between the police, educational specialists and the youth welfare office enables the installation of prompt, tailored and crime-preventive assistance.
These are diverse and meet the participants where they are. They often want to change their situation, but do not have enough support in their environment and no ideas on how to do this. Continuous and reliable support during participation enables the children and young people to take part in anti-aggression training or experiential education measures, among other things.
Support for parents is also an important component, be it advice on educational issues from educational professionals or referral to specialized help, such as debt counselling or self-help groups.
An important pillar is cooperation with the youth welfare office by coordinating help or initiating new help.
Benedikt Hörter, Head of Department of the Youth Welfare Office in the district of Euskirchen, emphasized that the cooperation between the Youth Welfare Office and the police in the district of Euskirchen has been working well for years. The cooperation agreement of the "Kurve kriegen" initiative adds another building block to the collaboration between the police and the youth welfare office.
According to Detective Inspector Ulrich Linden, Head of the Crime Directorate, crime prevention work can be particularly effective if it is initiated at an early stage.
The evaluation of the "Kurve kriegen" initiative, which was launched in NRW back in 2011, confirms this. 40 percent of children and young people will no longer commit crimes after successfully participating in the program. For the remaining 60 percent, a 50 percent reduction in criminal offenses was recorded.
District Administrator and Head of Department Markus Ramers, Head of the Police Department, Police Director Harald Mertens, and Head of the Youth Welfare Office Benedikt Hörter signed the cooperation agreement.