§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the operation of caution plus by the Thames Valley police force; and what plans he has to encourage other forces to adopt caution plus. [11782]
§ Mr. MichaelThe operation of caution plus schemes in a number of areas has demonstrated the value of early, positive intervention with young offenders. I have been impressed by a number of initiatives such as the retail theft initiative in Milton Keynes which show the value of the police working with local authorities and the community—including the business community—to tackle crime and to "nip things in the bud".
567WWe are studying "best practice" in the Thames Valley and elsewhere in working towards implementation of our proposed final warning for young offenders and the intervention which will be associated with it. Our first consideration is how best to see "what works" in order to prevent crime and reduce reoffending.