A third of primary school children admitted theft, arson, carrying a weapon, drinking, smoking or other “problem” behaviour in a Home Office poll of 6,000 young people in Britain which was published yesterday.
Nine per cent of ten-year-olds surveyed had broken the law in the last six months alone and more than one in seven eight-year-olds had been involved in anti-social behaviour.
Almost a fifth of those between ten and 17 had committed a violent offence. One in ten of those was serious – involving assault, mugging, burglary, robbery or drug peddling.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw last night told MPs the most dangerous kids would be jailed.
He said in the Commons: “For that small minority of out-of-control young people, custody is the answer.
“The crimes they have committed are so serious that there can be no other way of dealing with them. If they deserve to be inside, they will go there.” He added the plan would divert young people from crime. Some would be forced to clean the streets with community sentences of up to 300 hours.
There would also be more Asbos with parenting orders for yobs’ mums and dads. Police would get the power to take under16s off the streets in curfew areas.
And around 10,000 families responsible for crime waves face losing their council homes under the plans.
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