Broken Britain: the stark reality

Despite the passing of a record amount of legislation, chronic levels of prison overcrowding and the police being given countless targets to combat nuisance behaviour, youth crime is becoming even more prevalent.

The statistics underpinning "Broken Britain" make sombre reading and highlight the need for a new approach to juvenile delinquency. These, after all, are real people, and supposedly with their futures ahead of them.

Of course, the creation of so many new laws means there will be more offenders – especially given how the threat of tougher sanctions appears to be having little deterrent effect.

And, while it's important that only a small proportion of children in Yorkshire are law-breakers, the majority of crimes are being committed by a "hard core" group of serial offenders, young in age, and whose number is rising by the day. They are the new "lawless generation".

With incidents ranging in severity from irritating misdemeanours on the street corner to the depraved attack on two brothers in Edlington, South Yorkshire, last year, that had chilling parallels with the Jamie Bulger case, two clear distinctions can be drawn.

First, there needs to be far more effective intervention to identify those children whose conduct is straying on the wrong side of the law. Minor offences soon escalate – as witnessed in Edlington.

Second, it is clear that most young offenders either come from dysfunctional families where there is little parental guidance – or they have been placed in care for their own wellbeing.

Of course, it would be better if these youngsters are brought up in caring, compassionate families where they are taught the difference between right and wrong. But, sadly, this is not going to change overnight. Indeed, it's questionable whether such a panacea can ever be achieved – despite tax proposals to promote marriage.

Yet, while this societal debate takes place, one thing is clear. Given that the identities of the lawless minority are already widely known, policies need to be prioritised to break the cycle of reoffending, which is intrinsically linked to drugs, before more young lives go to waste – and even more individuals become unnecessary victims of crime.