New Figures reveal Labours decade of Yobbery

New figures published today reveals that the number of persistent young offenders in England and Wales has increased by 60 per cent and the crime they commit has risen by over 80 per cent.

New figures - key findings:

• Number of Persistent Young Offenders (PYO) in England and Wales has increased by 60% - from 9,868 in 1997 to 15,819 in 2008.

• The offences PYOs have committed in England and Wales has risen by over 80 per cent, from 16,010 in 1997 to 28,834 in 2008.

Cllr Andy Morgan, Conservative Spokesman for Community Safety and Parliamentary Candidate for Bolton South East said “Police officers are spending more time than ever dealing with the same repeat young offenders that the criminal justice system fails to keep off the streets.

 “The figures show that the government has presided over a decade of yobbery, fuelled by massive increases in the number of repeat young offenders. The number of Persistent Young Offenders (PYO) in Greater Manchester has soared from 817 in 1997 to 1251 in 2008 and the number of offences committed by those offenders has risen from 1431 in 1997 to 2336 in 2008.

“These figures make a mockery of Labour’s promises to tackle youth crime. There have been 46 Labour strategies since 1997 to try and tackle youth crime and it’s now clear they have failed.”