Youth offending: Black police association looks to set up peer courts in London

Members of the association will outline their vision next month in a meeting with Metropolitan Police representatives, including deputy assistant commissioner Carol Howlett. The meeting will involve senior officers from the force discussing the practicalities of letting young Londoners preside over their peers in court.

Association members are planning a visit to a peer youth court scheme in Washington DC before the meeting. The system, which has spread across the US, involves a jury of supervised young people questioning young low-level offenders on their motives and suggesting solutions or punishments.

George Rhoden, chairman of the Metropolitan Black Police Association, said he hoped next month's meeting could straighten out the confusion over whether such peer courts could be accommodated under existing legislation.