Lib Dems: Don’t send kids to jail
Young people convicted of minor criminal offences should be kept out the criminal justice system, the Liberal Democrats have said. The party message is that custody should only be used as a last resort and that offenders should instead be made to appear before a panel of local people to apologise and pay for the […]
True extent of knife crime revealed
One in every five violent crimes committed in England and Wales during the last year involved a knife, official figures have shown. According to the Home Office there were 22,151 offences – including attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and robbery – involving a knife in 2007/08. Since last year the British Crime Survey (BCS) has […]
Govt lift lid on youth crime action plan
Ministers have today unveiled the government’s youth crime action plan, a day after Gordon Brown pledged a crackdown on knife crime. In the days since the prime minister expressed his sorrow at a spate of fatal stabbings in the UK and pledged to respond, the government has been accused of rushing through its anti-knife crime […]
Smith to unveil new knife crime initiatives
Jacqui Smith is due to unveil new shock measures aimed at tackling knife crime. The home secretary will provide details of new enforcement measures, improvements to sentencing and a new approach to youth crime prevention. The move comes after a spate of stabbings during the last week, with four men being murdered in London last […]
New anti-knife warning from government
A new campaign warning young people of the dangers of carrying knives has been launched by the government. The warning, being broadcast via radio, the web and mobile phones, comes after a spate of high-profile stabbings across the UK in the last week alone. Budding actor Robert Knox, who had a part in the upcoming […]
Knife crime plans may ’cause new antagonism’
New measures to tackle knife crime could increase hostility among young people, according to the Children’s Commissioner of England. Changes introduced under Section 60 of the Public Order Act give officers increased powers to search people they suspect to be carrying knives and other weapons without reasonable suspicion that the accused is in possession of […]
Witnesses to receive anonymity
Witnesses who testify against gangs may receive anonymity, under new government proposals expected today. Home secretary Jacqui Smith is expected to announce the measures in a speech later today, according to the Times newspaper, together with plans restricted the movement of gang members. “We want witnesses to feel safe enough to give evidence right from […]
Crime survey ‘to include children’
The British Crime Survey (BCS) could be extended to include young children, the home secretary has said. Jacqui Smith said the Home Office wanted the BCS to include offences committed against children because of the likelihood of 11 to 16-year-olds being the victims of street crime. One in eight children aged between 11 and 16 […]
Police will have “no choice” but to shoot armed child
Officials have warned it is inevitable that an armed police officer will one day have “no choice” but to shoot a child brandishing a gun. Jon Murphy, head of the gun crime task force at the Home Office, described the scenario as a “classic no-win situation”. He explained that as soon as any child points […]
Tories target underage drinking
Shadow home secretary David Davis is calling for tougher action against underage drinkers today. The Conservatives want a rise in the number of prosecutions and court orders against those who illegally attempt to buy alcohol below the legal age limit of 18. At present there are less than 100 prosecutions every year, the Tories have […]
