Blair's 'respect tsar' takes on riots role
Neil Puffett
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Tony Blair's former respect agenda tsar Louise Casey has been drafted in by Prime Minister David Cameron to work on the response to last month's riots.
Casey, currently commissioner for victims of crime in England and Wales, was a key figure in Labour’s attempts to crack down on antisocial behaviour.
It is not yet known what Casey's exact role will be.
News of her latest position came as Home Secretary Theresa May told MPs that the majority of people involved in the riots appear not to have been in gangs. In London 19 per cent of those arrested were gang members.
But she said there was evidence gangs were involved in incidents of inciting rioting using social media.
Meanwhile the government has been criticised for suggesting parents who allow their children to play truant or remain on the streets until late at night, will have their child benefit payments cut.
Family Action chief executive Helen Dent said: "Knee-jerk policy is rarely good policy and the government’s proposal for reducing or stopping child benefit for families may be a good example of how to get it wrong.
"While we agree that those criminals caught and convicted during the riots should be dealt with effectively by the criminal justice system punitive measures which take child benefit or maintenance allowances away from children and families are not fair and are not the answer."
