HOME Secretary Jack Straw today announced a £2.6 million scheme to tackle young thugs and criminals in Greater Manchester.

He unveiled the joint initiative between police, magistrates courts, probation and social services as he announced that new powers to lock up children as young as 12 would come into force on June 1.

Speaking at a London conference, "Catching Them Early", he announced £13 million worth of schemes round the country aimed at stopping youngsters on bail and probation from re-offending.

In Greater Manchester, the Government's Youth Justice Board is providing £1,367,000 towards the new project, with another £1,284,000 coming from local authorities, the private sector and other sources, bringing the total cash for the scheme to £2,652,000.

The aim of the project is "improving yet further the close co-operation and management structures uniting the police, magistrates courts, probation and social services in their joint determination to reduce the need for remands of 10 to 17-year-olds to secure and local authority accommodation".

But despite this, Mr Straw also said powers in the Crime and Disorder Bill for courts to remand or sentence young people direct to secure accommodation rather than into the care of the local authority would come into force on June 1.

He also announced a wide range of other measures aimed at cutting the rising level of crime among 10 to 17-year-olds.

There will be new community sentences aimed at providing a tailored response to young people short of putting them behind bars, and new powers to impose curfews on under 10s found on the streets.

There are new powers to compel parents to look after their children who are in trouble and to take help from the authorities.

Ten to 17-year-olds will also face being ordered to make reparations to their victims, and a new Child Safety Order would place an under 10 in trouble under the supervision of Social Services.

In addition, Mr Straw announced a £50 million fund to provide counselling for children at risk of turning to crime and asked for bids for the money from organisations round the country.

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