The Make Space Youth Review, carried out by the charity 4Children, found80 per cent of young people said they had nowhere to go and nothing todo outside school, and this meant they hung around, bored, on streetcorners.
The report, which was handed to Prime Minister Gordon Brown last week,found that 60 per cent of young people in deprived areas became victimsof crime and 12 per cent belonged to a gang.
Youth crime costs up to 13bn per year, compared to the 1.6bn spent on prevention, according to the report.
Anne Longfield, 4Children's chief executive, said: "We need to create anew generation of services for older children with high-qualityopportunities around youth centres."
Other recommendations include support for parents of teenagers, mobileintervention teams for areas of high deprivation and unrest, action onbullying and a new victim support scheme. The review is calling for anurgent transformation of support for teenagers, recommending a programmeof Government investment and action to create a Sure Start approach forolder children.
- www.4children.org.uk.
