Video: Now police aim to keep youths off the streets by training them as pigeon fanciers

It could prove a crime-fighting coup, bar none. A project designed to divert youths from anti-social behaviour has been launched which teaches teenagers how to train racing pigeons.

Youngsters who have either been excluded from mainstream schools, or are at risk of doing so, are taking part in two-hour sessions in a pigeon loft in the garden of Humberside Police officer Mick Tune.

The idea for North Lincolnshire Flying High came to Pc Tune, 44, while he was recovering from a broken neck, from playing rugby.

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His father, now 69, is a lifelong pigeon fancier and while recuperating, his son, the force’s Youth Division Co-ordinator, started to rediscover his own love of the sport.

He said: “I used to go down the road with Dad training pigeons and read about a similar thing in a magazine. While I was off work I was looking at projects to get going in North Lincolnshire and I thought, why not have a go at this one?”

Support from people within the sport and sponsorship has come in thick and fast and has seen a smart new loft built in his garden in Epworth.

Its inmates are pigeons with top credentials – a pair of young birds has been donated from the Royal Loft at Sandringham alongside others from Wetherby Young Offenders’ Institute.

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Olly Thomas, 16, who attends South Park Enterprise College, has been coming regularly to the pigeon loft.

Olly said: “I got chucked out of school because I kept disrupting classes and came to South Park and another school called Study United and I have learned loads. The staff understand what you want out of school.”

The teenager, who now wants to study painting and decorating at college, added: “I’ve been daft in the past and done a couple of bad things but I have turned myself round.”

Pc Tune said the pigeons could help youngsters learn everything from working out “velocities” to simply staying calm.

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He said: “The kids can be a handful at school but when they come here it’s different. You mess about and the birds get upset. You have to get up in the morning, and you have to feed and water them otherwise the team isn’t going to function properly.

“It gives them a chance to learn new life skills and make new friendships in a totally different environment to what most of them would ordinarily experience. It is about taking a form of ownership of the pigeons, which rely on their care and regular involvement to thrive and compete.”

The youngsters also see him in a different light. He said: “It’s away from the police station and formal talks in assemblies. Everyone is out of their comfort zones.”

Despite its old-fashioned image, the sport these days enjoys the benefit of many hi-tech aids.

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Racing birds fly with a microchip on one of the bands attached to their legs and these are detected by a sensor when they return to the loft – without owners even having to be present.

Pc Tune said: “The amount of goodwill has been immense. My Dad was a really good friend of Carlo Napolitano, the keeper of the Royal Loft (who has recently died). He was in conversation with my Dad and offered straightaway a pair of youngsters. Two clubs, the North East Provincial Flying Club and the Midlands National Flying Club have also given us free membership and support.”

Janette West, a support mentor from the college, said: “It takes them away from computer games. They learn about handling animals, working as a team, following instructions. Our school is about employability and life skills. They are not bad kids.”

Feed for the pigeons came from GE Buckton and Son, based at Driffield. Humberside Tribune Trust, which supports community safety initiatives, and the Royal Racing Pigeon Association both gave funding.

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The association’s president David Higgins said: “One thing we struggle with is getting young people’s interest.

“We saw this as an excellent way of promoting pigeon keeping and pigeon racing and obviously helping young children who should benefit.”

The loft’s electronic timing system was donated by Unikon, from Spalding.

Barnsley Lofts and Pigeon Supplies, at Hemingbrough, helped with the design and manufacture of the loft at a greatly reduced rate.