Keith Simpson, head of service development at the charity SACRO (Safeguarding Communities, Reducing Offending), told the Justice 2 Committee that measures in the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Bill to extend antisocial behaviour orders to the under-16s were inappropriate, and that the law was sufficient to deal with criminal behaviour by young people.
Legislation for dispersing groups of young people not engaged in criminal behaviour would also be wrong, he said. "If people are engaged in criminal behaviour they should be dealt with by criminal courts or Children's Hearings," he said.
Community mediation was the best way to handle concerns over antisocial behaviour, he added. "Young people and adults need to understand each other's positions," he said. "Young people need to be able to meet up."
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