Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour — [Mr Laurence Robertson in the Chair]

Described the impact of antisocial behaviour in her constituency, citing instances such as graffiti and drug-taking. Noted that about one in five adults witnessed antisocial behaviour in the past year. Emphasised the need for a multi-agency approach to support young people before they have contact with the police. Raised concerns over drag racing incidents involving modified cars causing anxiety among residents.

Ms McKinnell highlighted the significant antisocial behaviour and crime issues in her constituency, particularly in Newbiggin Hall and West Denton. She cited examples such as persistent vandalism and drug dealing, and noted that only 6% of violence against the person offences led to prosecution by 2019-20. She criticised Conservative cuts to policing and criminal justice funding.

She discussed the tragic loss of Jahreau Shepherd due to antisocial behaviour and highlighted the impact on families. She emphasised the need for addressing childhood trauma, supporting youth workers, and providing adequate funding for mental health services.

Mr Gareth Thomas urged for more police presence and sympathetic policing in Harrow, highlighting a significant increase in the backlog of children awaiting court appearances by over 50%. He called for stronger action from British Transport Police around transport hubs to address sexual harassment. Thomas also emphasized the need for quicker justice system actions, support for schools, and activities for at-risk youth. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of addressing poverty among young people in his constituency.

Ian Byrne highlighted the consequences of austerity on youth services in Liverpool, noting a reduction of 65% in council funding since 2010. He emphasised the closure of youth centres and increased involvement of children in gangs and knife crime, citing research indicating £400 million cuts to UK youth services between 2010 and 2019, resulting in the loss of 4,500 jobs and over 760 centre closures. Byrne praised local organisations for their efforts but called for central government funding and policy changes.

Mr Jacob Young highlighted the significant issue of antisocial behaviour in Redcar and Cleveland, particularly focusing on off-road motorbike use and kerbside gangs. He noted that local council efforts to block unofficial routes have cost over £15,000 without success, while police resources are stretched thin. Mr Young urged constituents to report incidents to aid the police and advocated for stricter parental responsibility through court orders.

Jim Shannon expressed concern about the significant increase in antisocial behaviour and youth crime rates, particularly highlighting a rise of almost 19,000 incidents or 34.1% in Northern Ireland from March 2020 to February 2021 compared to the previous year. He called for local authorities to be given more powers to address these issues and highlighted the effectiveness of community organisations like Street Pastors working alongside police. In his contribution, Jim Shannon referred to Street Pastors as an organisation that works in the constituency of Florence Eshalomi and others. He asked what discussions the Minister has had with Street Pastors about using their voluntary service for community betterment.

Discussed the impact of county lines drug gangs on youth crime and antisocial behaviour, highlighting a case study involving a young person named Kofi who was groomed by a neighbour into criminal activity. Criticised the current lack of national strategy to address child criminal exploitation and called for better support from social workers, police, and trusted community groups. In a brief intervention, Lyn Brown commented that they have never had it so good. Lyn Brown requested a commitment from the Minister to meet.

Mr Robbie Moore expressed concern about antisocial behaviour in Keighley, including recreational drug use, discarded needles, loud car modifications, and violent assaults. He highlighted the impact on local businesses and economic prosperity, mentioning a constituent who owns a business in Keighley. Mr Moore also discussed the importance of youth services and local sports groups like Keighley Albion and Keighley Cougars to steer young people away from crime.

Antisocial behaviour has been trivialised and downplayed, with prosecution rates at just 6.5% of all crimes, which is extraordinary. Sarah Jones highlighted the need for youth work and community support officers to tackle antisocial behaviour effectively. She cited statistics on increased knife possession offences among young people, reduced spending on early intervention, and cuts to youth services.

Mr Benton highlighted the issue of non-compliance with parenting orders and called for collaboration between youth offending teams, local authorities, and police to ensure adherence. He also suggested that families who do not care about their children's actions should face tough action and accountability. He urged the Government to assess the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour powers and orders by collating records, improve the speed of justice system, and take decisive steps to address youth crime and antisocial behaviour.

Tom Hunt highlighted the serious issue of youth crime and antisocial behaviour in Ipswich, mentioning tragic incidents like the murder of Tavis Spencer-Aitkens due to county lines and gang violence. He emphasised the need for a balanced approach involving both tougher sentencing and addressing underlying social issues such as learning disabilities among prisoners. The MP also addressed less serious but significant concerns like littering, inappropriate behaviour in public spaces that intimidate residents, especially women, calling for more police intervention.