Grayling declares 'war' on youth violence

The shadow home secretary has called for a clampdown on youth violence, with a pledge to "go to war" on anti-social behaviour.

Chris Grayling made the call, following the "grotesque attack" on two young boys in Doncaster.

Speaking at an event hosted by think tank Policy Exchange, he said the incident served as a "stark snapshot" of Britain's 'Broken Society'.

Grayling made a connection between minor acts of anti-social behaviour and the "brutality" of more serious violence.

He warned that a small minority were now causing "a life of misery for all", and that aggression between children had become "too much of a norm",

It is time to "reclaim our streets", as more law-abiding people feel like prisoners in their own homes, he said.

Grayling outlined plans for a new "grounding order" tackling anti-social behaviour.

But he warned that fixing the 'Broken Society' will be a long and difficult process.

"One step we can take quickly is to go to war on antisocial behaviour," he said.

"It's about time we learned, as a society, as parents, as teachers, as police, to say no. It's time we spent a bit more time worrying about the wrongs in our society, and a bit less about the rights of those who are disrupting it.

"It's time that children realised that they can be told to stop it by a teacher or a policeman and that, sometimes, they just have to do what they are told."

He added: "Young people have to learn that when an adult makes a decision they have to listen - the adult doesn't have to "earn the respect" of the young person."