Brown willing to use new laws to tackle youth crime

Brown condemns 'heinous crime'

Thursday, 23, Aug 2007 12:00

Gordon Brown has said the government will consider introducing new legislation in the wake of the latest youth murder.

Speaking to reporters after a summit on youth crime, Mr Brown vowed to vigorously enforce existing laws, but said the government would consider passing new legislation if required.

Mr Brown said: "Since Jacqui Smith and I took over the responsibilities that we have, we have been working urgently to examine what more we can do to heal the problems of guns, of knives, of gangs in our country, and more generally the problem of youth disorder.

"Where there is a need for new laws, we will pass them, where there is a need for tougher enforcement we will make sure that that happens."

The pre-planned summit followed the death of 11-year-old Rhys Jones. The schoolboy was shot while playing in a pub car park in the Croxteth area of Liverpool.

Mr Brown described the shooting as a "heinous crime" that had "shocked the whole nation".

The prime minister said the offenders would be "tracked down, arrested and punished".

Yesterday David Cameron criticised the government for trying to legislate its way out of youth crime. Mr Cameron said the government has pursued a one dimensional approach to crime and anti-social behaviour and needed to look beyond criminal justice.

After this morning's seminar, where the prime minister was joined by government ministers, the police and voluntary agencies, Mr Brown said the government would target ten key areas.

This will include a crackdown on underage drinking, as well as early intervention to keep young people away from guns and knife crime.

Going into the summit, the home secretary said the government wanted to increase the number of anti-social behaviour contracts (ABCs), where young people sign up to acceptable standards of behaviour.

The Conservatives attacked the government's focus on ABCs in the face of a rising death toll.

Shadow home affairs minister James Brokenshire warned ABCs are "no panacea" to anti-social behaviour, especially as two-thirds of those signed by under-18s are broken.

Mr Brokenshire said: "This latest initiative is yet another example of a long list of Home Office promises which have failed to deal with the disorder in our communities and address the underlying causes of crime.

"With increasing violence on our streets and people too scared to go out at night, the government's approach to tackling anti-social behaviour is simply losing respect."