Federation welcomes Tory plans to tackle anti-social behaviour

19 November 2009

 

Tackling youth crime at its roots
Federation reaction to Tory plans to tackle anti-social behaviour

Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Grayling last night pledged Tory commitment to tackling anti social behaviour. Speaking at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies charity in London, Mr Grayling promised a raft of measures aimed at discouraging young people from developing a life of crime including early intervention and the empowerment of police to use their discretion. 

Speaking at the conference he said “Early intervention is a crucial way to deal with anti-social behaviour. This will allow the police to deal directly with the occasional troublemaker, to ensure that they do not reoffend again.” He continued, “For the hard core it may be their first meeting with the concept of right and wrong – better that they discover this early, before they go on to commit more serious offences.”

Mr Grayling also said that punishment for more serious acts should be stricter. Among the measures the Tories are considering are grounding orders for police and on the spot hard labour punishments.

The Federation Chairman, Paul McKeever, welcomed the announcement. He said; “The Federation firmly believe that early intervention is key to preventing more serious crime later on in life. Sentencing must be clearer so that criminals and youth offenders know the type of punishment they will receive. With greater clarity people will know what it is they will face and what punishments are likely to be administered. Currently, if someone drink-drives they get arrested, charged and lose their license. This principle should be applied to anti social behaviour to clearly communicate the message that if you commit a crime you will get punished. ”

Mr McKeever however urges that “the practicalities of supervising sanctions must be looked into as police resources are already stretched to capacity. He continued, “to be successful these schemes and initiatives must be properly resourced and supported to ensure they are as effective as possible.”

 

 

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