Cameron on crime

In his speech on youth crime today, David Cameron suggested that those who commit minor offences should have their driving licences delayed. This is a more sensible idea than marching yobs to cash-points and in theory one can see it being quite an effective deterrent against the kind of bad behaviour that can make life so unpleasant. However, the obvious downside is that it could lead to a whole bunch of young people driving without a licence or insurance—after all, these people are having their licences delayed precisely because of their lack of respect for the law and consideration for others. Overall, though, it is a welcome step as it shows that the Cameron leadership understand that now is the time to demonstrate how some of their vaguer ideas can actually translate into policy.