One boy crime wave alarms Blunkett

The 11-year-old appeared in court in Cardiff

The case of an 11-year-old boy who has been in court 150 times on car crime and burglary charges could prompt a change in the law.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said that he is prepared to put children under 12 into care if they persistently offend.

What a crazy system that we don't have psychiatric support services able to work with the system to enable it to work better

David Blunkett

Mr Blunkett also criticised the "silly situation" where the 11-year-old had committed a string of offences before a psychiatric problem was addressed.

In an interview for BBC Wales, Mr Blunkett said he wants to toughen up the law following the case of the Cardiff boy who has been described as a "one person crime wave".

The home secretary was in Cardiff to speak to the Justice Clerks' society in Cardiff where the boy had been sentenced just hours earlier for 24 offences including burglary, driving without insurance, theft and breach of curfew.

Mr Blunkett was addressing the Justice Clerks' society

The boy, whose 12th birthday is on Thursday, was sentenced to a three-year supervision order.

He has been diagnosed with a "hyperkinetic disorder".

Mr Blunkett said: "What a crazy system that we don't have psychiatric support services able to work with the system to enable it to work better."

He said that the case demonstrated just how crucial a street crime initiative was.

Mr Blunkett acknowledged that street crime and violent crime had been "rapidly on the increase" - a situation he contrasted with the overall reduction in crime in the past five years.

"Everything we have been dealing with is about prevention, appropriate punishment and the operation of the system leading to avoidance of re-offending.

"In this jigsaw each of the parts fit together. We are in danger of 'initiativitis'.

Inconsistent sentencing

"There is the accusation of inertia or on the other hand of announcing too many initiatives and wanting to progress too quickly."

He said there was a balance between custodial and, where appropriate, non-custodial sentences.

"Getting the balance right is to ensure that one programme dovetails with another."

Mr Blunkett also pointed to what he said were inconsistencies in levels of sentencing region by region.

A situation he explained as "great and inexplicable".

'Appalling'

Earlier, shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin urged Mr Blunkett to tackle "defects" in law enforcement and sentencing.

Mr Letwin wrote to Mr Blunkett highlighting what he saw as several major problems, including a lack of transparency in sentencing.

He wanted more efficiency, greater concern for victims and better connections and communication between various law enforcement agencies.

Mr Blunkett's reforms must end the "appalling" rates of re-offending, he added.