News round up: Police ‘criminalising young to hit targets’

By Mithran Samuel on April 3, 2008 in Child safeguarding, Children, Youth justice

Police criminalising young to hit targets, says charity

A police drive aimed at thousands of low-level teenage offenders lies behind an apparent surge in youth crime figures, according to an analysis published today. Police figures suggest reported minor offences by young people soared by 38.9% from 2003-2006, and detected serious offences rose by 19%.

But research by the charity Nacro says this rise has more to do with police criminalising minor teenage misdemeanours – previously they would have been dealt with by an informal ticking off.
Read more on this story in The Guardian

Crackdown launched to stop abuse of admissions law

Ministers launched a crackdown on schools covertly selecting pupils yesterday after government research confirmed that up to one in six schools could be breaking admissions laws. One north London school asked parents to commit to paying £895 a term when they applied, and another demanded £650.

Adverse drug reations cost NHS £2bn

The NHS is spending nearly £2bn a year treating patients who have had an adverse reaction to drugs prescribed for them by doctors, according to new figures from the centre-left thinktank Compass.

Prison should be last resort, Lord Chief Justice insists

No one who has committed a criminal offence should be sent to prison when there is an suitable alternative to custody, the most senior judge in England and Wales said yesterday. Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, the Lord Chief Justice, called for a greater use of community service or probation, which he said could reduce reoffending and help ease prison overcrowding.

Inequalities in income not changed for 10 years

Income inequalities have not reduced in the past decade despite Labour’s attempts to pull people out of poverty, according to a new report on the well-being of British society.

The gap between the top 10 per cent of earners and the bottom 10 per cent has not closed, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Cannabis should remain Class C, says Advisory Council

The government’s drug advisory body is set to recommend that cannabis should remain a Class C drug, creating a dilemma for Gordon Brown who has indicated he wants to clamp down on use of the drug.

The prime minister give his backing for cannabis to be reclassified as a more serious drug – Class B – at a press conference earlier this week.

Daughter’s damages

A woman was awarded £70,902 High Court damages against her father who subjected her to daily physical and emotional abuse. The 24-year-old, who cannot be identified, was beaten and abused. She is also claiming against the London Borough of Ealing, alleging that social workers failed to protect her.

Read this story in The Times

Home Office calls for better security on social networking sites

Social networking sites should carry the telephone numbers of child welfare agencies, the police and confidential hotlines under guidance to be published tomorrow, aimed at improving online security.

Sites are also urged to set the default privacy settings of under 18s to private or only allow it to be viewable by friends chosen by the user.
Read this story in The Times

Met ‘let down’ victim killed by her family

Two Metropolitan Police officers are to face disciplinary proceedings over their treatment of a young woman who was tortured and murdered in a so-called “honour killing” case after the police watchdog concluded yesterday she had been “let down” by them.