POLICE fear crime rates will increase if a youth club is forced to close.

JusB has helped more than 2,000 10 to 18-year-olds a year since it started in 2003.

It runs a DJ night, youth club sessions and a mentoring scheme.

Youngsters can also get advice on anything from debt and benefits to sex education at the centre in College Road, Bromley.

The club is funded by donations, grants and fundraising.

But it needs £9,000 a month to stay open and only has enough money to last until September.

It was in danger of closing in June but secured more funding.

The situation has got worse because the centre has been unsuccessful in getting the grants it usually depends on.

Sergeant Darryl Payne, who heads the Plaistow and Sundridge Safer Neighbourhood Team, (SNT) thinks there will be more youngsters hanging around on the streets if it closes.

He said: "There are elements of youth which are diverted away from crime and disorder because of the club.

"I think they do a great job at JusB and I think crime and disorder would go up if it closed."

He is applying for a £22,000 council grant to fix a garage at the centre and start a bike repair project.

This will be jointly run with officers from the Bromley town centre police team.

The bike repair project cash would come from capital funding, which cannot be used to help the centre cover its day-to-day costs.

Bromley Town Centre SNT Sergeant Amanda Weston said: "I think the bike project will give them some direction and focus and give them skills they will be able to use in later life."

JusB chief executive Rachel Archer said: "If the centre closed it would be more work for the police and there would be more young people on the streets not engaged in positive activity.

"When young people are with us they are engaged with us in a non-judgemental, non-confrontational way to change their risk-taking behaviour.

"If they were not with us, where would they get to work through their behaviour?"

Call JusB on 020 8464 2722 to become a volunteer or donate.