Youth Justice Board chair Rod Morgan has told the Government that allowing police to impose on-the-spot fines for children as young as 10 could be "counterproductive".

Last week the Home Office announced plans to pilot fixed penalty notices of between 40 and 80 for 10- to 15-year-olds as part of its crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

But Morgan told Children Now that the policy ran counter to the Government's aim of matching punishment to a child's personal circumstances - and he would be arguing against it at the highest levels.

"Anything that is on the spot is, by definition, not going to involve assessment, so it runs the risk of circumventing the careful assessment of those from much more socially and economically marginal backgrounds, who often get into trouble," he said.

The Youth Justice Board would make its arguments known to the Home Office and to children's minister Margaret Hodge.

He said the fines could be appropriate in certain circumstances, such as when children from public schools engaged in disruptive behaviour on the street. "They're very wealthy and the school will ensure they pay," he said.

- See Interview, p13.