§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of local child curfews which will be introduced in the next year; and if he will make a statement. [63686]
§ Mr. BoatengLocal child curfews are a permissive rather than a mandatory power. The decision to apply for a local child curfew scheme is one for an individual local authority. A curfew notice would be applied only where a local authority identifies a problem involving disruptive children and decides to intervene. The number of curfew notices imposed annually will therefore reflect the nature of youth crime problems as identified locally.
Local child curfews should be seen within the context of a general community safety strategy. The aim of such curfews is two fold. They will address the need to protect young children from being drawn into anti-social or criminal behaviour, and they will protect communities from the misery and distress which can be caused by groups of unsupervised children.