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The number of repeat offenders committing crimes has risen by 60 per cent since Labour came to power, according to new figures.
The Ministry of Justice unveiled an increase in the number of persistent young offenders in England and Wales, up from 9,868 in 1997 to 15,819 last year.
The number of offences committed each year has risen by more than 80 per cent over the same period, increasing from 16,010 in 1997 to 28,834 last year.
The Conservatives had obtained the figures through written parliamentary answers.
They criticised the system for failing to keep offenders off the streets and not rehabilitating them.
Shadow police minister David Ruffley said: "Police officers are concerned that a huge amount of their time is spent dealing with the same repeat young offenders that the criminal justice system fails to keep off the streets or rehabilitate. I agree with the police that this revolving door of criminality is unacceptable.
"These new figures show that Labour ministers have presided over a decade of yobbery, fuelled by massive increases in the number of repeat young offenders," he said.
"These figures make a mockery of Labour's promises to tackle youth crime."
The news comes as home secretary Jacqui Smith and children's secretary Ed Balls repeated calls for schools to sign up to Safer School Partnerships.
They stated that 20 per cent of primary schools and 45 per cent of secondary schools are part of Safer School Partnerships with the police.
The scheme aims to tackle crime, drugs and gang culture.
Smith explained "I want to ensure our young people are offered as much protection from crime as possible - while they are often blamed for causing crime the reality is they are more likely to be victims than perpetrators.
"Developing good relationships between young people and the police is essential to achieving that goal," she added, during a school visit in Birmingham.
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