§ 31. Mr. BryantTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what international evidence he has taken into consideration in developing policies to tackle youth crime. [82333]
§ Mr. DenhamOur broad approach to preventing youth crime is to focus on those factors which research and experience, both from within the United Kingdom and abroad, tell us are most likely to increase the risk of criminality, as well as targeted preventative work with the most at risk young people in high crime areas. The risk factors are to do with the family, environment and school, and include behavioural factors such as early drugs and alcohol misuse.
In October this year we hosted an international seminar on youth crime, bringing together leading academics, practitioners and policy makers, to identify experience and evidence from across the world to inform our approach to youth crime. We shall take forward the outcomes of the seminar in the context of the Green Paper on children at risk announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 30 October, and they will inform other parts of our programme, such as our drive against antisocial behaviour.