Gary's views

YOUNG PEOPLE

A major report this week by the UK Children commissioners have called for a change in the way we deal with young people offending. We lock up more young people than any other country in Western Europe, 2,900 in the past year alone.

It is certainly true that we do not want to make criminals out of decent young people who are just going through the high jinks phase of adolescence. If a person has not entered the criminal justice system by the age of 21 they are unlikely to do so (apart from traffic offences) so keeping youngsters away from the university of crime that prisons and young offenders institutions clearly are, is a good thing. When I look back on the stupid things I did in my youth, I often think, there but by the grace of God go I.

On the other hand, we do not want tearaway teenagers ruining things for the rest of us, as they sometimes do even in our leafy suburbs. The recent spate of problems in Plymstock is but one example of where teenage action went well past exuberance and into criminal activity. I wrote immediately to the local police inspector supporting his force’s robust response. We should not have to put up with drunken aggressive behaviour in our public spaces.

This is a difficult balance to strike. I was interested to hear the chief constable speaking recently about the number of calls they get reporting youngsters playing football in parks! Isn’t that partly what parks are for? Also we have to recognise that standards of behaviour in public have changed, but that does not mean that youngsters are being offensive. Every so often a teenager in the street will greet me with “Hi Gary!” Some may think this is over familiar, (and certainly I would never have dreamed of addressing my MP by his first name when I was young) but I think it’s great.

The answer is to give more discretion to the police to exercise their on the spot judgment. They can identify, especially since the welcome re-introduction of community beat officers, the real trouble makers from the also-rans and should have the freedom to deal with each incident accordingly. The Crown Prosecution Service should heed the voice of the police more in deciding when to prosecute. We need more common sense policing, and I see the first signs of it.  

What do you think?