Barnardo's claims antisocial behaviour police powers will put children at risk
Joe Lepper
Friday, May 6, 2011
Government plans to hand police powers to take children suspected of antisocial behaviour back to their homes are being opposed by children's charity Barnardo's.
The charity says the move, which is being considering in the government’s consultation More Effective Responses to Anti-Social Behaviour, could put vulnerable children at risk.
It forms part of a proposed streamlined "direction power" for police officers and police community support officers to disperse young people, which will also give them the power to require a young person, aged at least 10, to leave a specific area and not return for up to 48 hours.
Barnardo’s chief executive Anne Marie Carrie said: "If police send children back to abusive or unsafe households or move them on without consideration for the reasons behind their antisocial behaviour they could be placed in greater danger."
Instead, the charity is calling for courts to be required to ask for information about children’s home lives and look at how they can be supported before antisocial behaviour sanctions are brought in.
Carrie added: "If the government really wants effective responses to antisocial behaviour by children, then it needs to know why the problems are happening in the first place. We need to treat the causes of crime, rather than put sticking plasters on the symptoms."
A Home Office spokesman said: "Our proposed reforms to the antisocial behaviour regime will empower the public and give the authorities the flexibility and powers they need to tackle this serious problem.
"The concerns raised by Barnardo’s relate as much to the existing regime as our proposals, and we are looking forward to discussing them with Barnardo’s soon."
