'We can't crack crime on our own'

David Blunkett admitted today the Government cannot crack crime alone.

The Home Secretary was speaking as a picture of Government failure to get to grips with street crime emerged from a Downing Street crisis meeting chaired by Tony Blair.

The Prime Minister had pulled in senior Cabinet figures from across government today to launch a new action group to combat street crime, as mugging and robbery figures soar to record levels.

Despite Labour efforts over five years to make schools, councils and health services take leading roles in the fight against crime, the Government was forced to admit the message has not been heeded.

A statement published after this morning's two-hour summit meeting left Education Secretary Estelle Morris in no doubt that she must do more to make schools work with police, implying that some heads have been slow to welcome officers into schools to target problems and take early action.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn has been told to sort out drug treatment for addicts who commit crime. His officials must also "make sure that social services are fully engaged in exchanging information about children at risk".

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Blunkett warned that the Government could not stem the rise in street crime alone.

He said: "This meeting was about drawing together all the resources, the expertise, and the initiative of departments of government, the criminal justice system and the police in freeing our streets from robbery and drug-driven violence.

"We cannot leave the fight against street crime to the police and criminal justice system alone. We need to support them through extending the resources and actions of every government department to this vital task. All of us are involved in this, not just the Government, but everybody in the community."

One key priority to emerge will be a clampdown on the use of bail for robbery suspects and a much greater use of intensive supervision and surveillance techniques.

Those moves come after Met Commissioner Sir John Stevens, who was at the meeting, condemned the criminal justice system for treating violent robbers like shoplifters and releasing them on bail to reoffend eight or nine times.

When it's not worth prosecuting

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