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Young offender driving ban call | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
David Cameron has called for young offenders to be barred from driving as part of a programme to tackle crime. | |
"Common sense suggests that with young people you need to hit them where it hurts: in their lifestyle and their aspirations," said the Tory leader. | |
He urged the wider use of powers enabling judges to disqualify offenders from holding or obtaining a licence. | |
He said he wanted a "three-dimensional" approach to youth crime, focusing on families, policing and the courts. | |
The Conservative leader said the UK was suffering a "crisis of order" and that "violence grows in the fertile soil of anti-social behaviour". | The Conservative leader said the UK was suffering a "crisis of order" and that "violence grows in the fertile soil of anti-social behaviour". |
But rather than passing new laws, he said the government should widen the use of existing powers - enacted in 2004 - enabling magistrates to bar offenders from driving. | |
'Social breakdown' | |
At the moment, the powers are only used for motoring offences. | |
In a speech in Darwen, Lancashire, Mr Cameron said: "I'd like to see judges and magistrates tell a 15-year-old boy convicted of buying alcohol or causing a disturbance, that the next time he appears in court he'll have his driving licence delayed. | |
"And then I'd like that boy to tell his friends what the judge said." | |
He said magistrates should be also able to jail criminals for up to a year - rather than six months. | |
Mr Cameron also called for police to be freed up to spend more time on patrol. | |
He said the government had to "reverse the social breakdown which is the root cause of the criminality we see around us". | |
Magistrates should be allowed to sentence for longer and the early-release scheme should be scrapped, he said. | Magistrates should be allowed to sentence for longer and the early-release scheme should be scrapped, he said. |
'General bonfire' | 'General bonfire' |
Police spent "more time on paperwork than they do on patrol" with the government "guilty of wasting police time", Mr Cameron added. | Police spent "more time on paperwork than they do on patrol" with the government "guilty of wasting police time", Mr Cameron added. |
He said he wanted a "general bonfire" of police targets, making them "accountable to the people they serve" rather than Whitehall. | He said he wanted a "general bonfire" of police targets, making them "accountable to the people they serve" rather than Whitehall. |
Social problems such as drugs, drink, unemployment and debt also needed to be tackled, Mr Cameron added, calling for "radical action" to restore families and communities. | Social problems such as drugs, drink, unemployment and debt also needed to be tackled, Mr Cameron added, calling for "radical action" to restore families and communities. |
Mr Cameron added: "We need to make men realise that having a child is an 18-year commitment, not a one-night stand. | Mr Cameron added: "We need to make men realise that having a child is an 18-year commitment, not a one-night stand. |
"We need to help couples stay together, not drive them apart through a tax and benefits system that encourages people to live separately and we need to make society as a whole - that's you and me - realise that we all have duties to our neighbours and those duties are as compelling as the taxes we pay and the laws that we obey." | "We need to help couples stay together, not drive them apart through a tax and benefits system that encourages people to live separately and we need to make society as a whole - that's you and me - realise that we all have duties to our neighbours and those duties are as compelling as the taxes we pay and the laws that we obey." |
He added: "Other cities, other countries have fought the battle of anti-social behaviour and won it - and we've got to do that too." | He added: "Other cities, other countries have fought the battle of anti-social behaviour and won it - and we've got to do that too." |
On Tuesday, Justice Secretary Jack Straw said the "continuing problem" of gang violence was due to the absence of fathers in black communities. | On Tuesday, Justice Secretary Jack Straw said the "continuing problem" of gang violence was due to the absence of fathers in black communities. |
He said young black men needed their fathers as role models, otherwise their development suffered. | He said young black men needed their fathers as role models, otherwise their development suffered. |
Black girls from similar backgrounds had different attitudes and succeeded more than black boys, he said. | Black girls from similar backgrounds had different attitudes and succeeded more than black boys, he said. |
He was responding to US civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who said inner-city violence was an economic problem. | He was responding to US civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who said inner-city violence was an economic problem. |