Miliband: Force yobs to repair vandalism

ANTI-SOCIAL yobs should be frogmarched back to their victims and forced to make amends for bad behaviour, Labour leader Ed Miliband said yesterday.

Mr Miliband called for police to be given more powers to act immediately, rather than dishing out cautions or dragging cases through the courts.

The proposal would see youngsters cleaning up their own graffiti, repairing broken windows, clearing up litter or taking part in community projects.

Mr Miliband risked parallels with the call by former Prime Minister Tony Blair for drunks to be frogmarched to cashpoints to pay onthe-spot fines, which was widely derided as a gimmick.

The current community payback scheme, in which petty criminals carry out unpaid work such as graffiti removal or tidying parks, was introduced by Mr Blair as part of his crackdown on ‘yob culture’.

But MPS have warned that many of the schemes are ineffective, as criminals view them as a soft option and often go on to reoffend.

The Labour leader faces a crucial test of support on May 3, with local elections taking place in England, Scotland and Wales. And with the

‘Put them back on

the right path’’

Government enduring a fraught period amid controversy over the top-rate tax, panic buying at the petrol pumps and cash-for-access claims, he would hope to score well at the ballot box.

However, last week’s result in the Bradford West by-election – where Respect’s George Galloway overturned Labour’s 5,000 majority – threw a question mark over the strength of support for the party.

Launching Labour’s local election campaign yesterday , Mr Miliband insisted that his party would adopt a ‘common sense’ approach to law and order.

He said: ‘Police and local authorities must have enough power to deal with anti-social behaviour.

‘Instead of just giving people a caution, knowing they will commit further offences, those who do the wrong thing should be forced to make it up to the victim.

‘Make good on the damage they have caused, help rebuild the community project, clean up the graffiti, fix a wrecked garden.

‘When offenders have to confront the consequences of their crimes and meet their victims, they can come to understand what they have done and the damage they have caused.

‘This has made some less likely to commit further offences – it puts them back on to the right path.’