Tony Blair's campaign for a "new national moral purpose" reached Walker's Thomas Gaughan Community Centre recently with the visit of Home Office Minister, Mike O'Brien.
| Sometimes nobody draws the line for the young person; so they think they can get away with things. |
In an exclusive interview at the centre by reporters from the press agency Children's Express, Mr O'Brien called for more facilities for young people, to help cut crime. Things to do, playgrounds, places to play football and places to chat with friends should be provided for children and young people if that's what they want, he said.
"If young people are provided with many of these facilities, there's less chance that they'll become involved in getting up to mischief and later committing crimes."
Proper supervision by parents and other responsible adults was also important.
"The way we need to deal with it is by nipping the whole thing in the bud. Sometimes nobody draws the line for the young person; so they think they can get away with things. If we nip it in the bud at an early stage so that they know there are lines across which they cannot go, then we can start to deal with youth offending."
Mr O' Brien was visiting the Thomas Gaughan Centre as part of a Government crime and disorder tour in the city. He was here, he said, to encourage the local community, the police and Council to use the courts to tackle "anti-social behaviour". He also wanted to learn about the City's experience of tackling crime.
"In Newcastle you've got a police and local council who are working very closely together to help the local community fight crime. I want to see how they're doing it, so we can teach other parts of the country how Newcastle is succeeding", he said.
About the team
This article was produced by editors Philip Lockyer and Lindsay Marchant, 16, and reporters Andrea Dixon, 14, and Samantha Newby, 12. It was published in the North West Post in Newcastle upon Tyne.
