Children's trusts urged to work with youth offending teams

She claimed there is a "dislocation" between services in some areas and called on local authorities to co-ordinate the "complicated architecture" of integrated services effectively.

Hughes claimed measures introduced in the Youth Crime Action Plan would reduce youth offending levels, but said it was up to local authorities to implement effective services on the ground.

She added that a step change in the number of family interventions for at-risk young people, the expansion of safer school partnerships and a common assessment framework for all children excluded from school will contribute.

Joyce Moseley, chief executive of the charity Rainer Crime Concern, warned that youth crime could not be solved by a "silver bullet".

She said: "We have the balance between enforcement and prevention wrong. The Youth Justice Board spends 70 per cent of its cash on custody that doesn't work. What upsets me is the fear of young people. Unless we look at attitudes to young people we are going to have to do more and more on enforcement."