Hampshire is to pioneer a scheme aimed at keeping teenage offenders out of jail.

The county's probation service is one of seven across the country who will be introducing the scheme in April. "The peak age for young men offending is 18 to 19," said deputy chief probation officer, Barbara Swyer.

"While many young people stop offending as they grow in maturity, others don't and they are the ones who end up in custody. We want to break that cycle."

There were already various forms of "intervention" to help youngsters steer clear of trouble. "But this will be a much more intense approach because there is the funding," added Mrs Swyer.

She said the police and probation service were working together to develop a community-based programme of close supervision and rehabilitation as an alternative to prison.

It would involve youngsters spending around 20 hours a week attending courses on topics such as anger management as well as receiving one-to-one counselling and job training.

The young offenders were likely to be electronically tagged and subject to curfew, added Mrs Swyer,

But there would still be emphasis on the value of having a job as one of the best ways of staying away from crime and out of trouble.