Tories plan behaviour tests for 5-year-olds

Children as young as five would be assessed for bad behaviour and sentences increased for teenage offenders under Tory party plans to cut persistent youth crime.

Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative leader, and Oliver Letwin, the shadow Home Secretary, will publish the proposals to stop what they call the "Conveyer Belt to Crime" when they visit a Young Offenders Institute in Reading today.

Seizing on research showing that early childhood is associated with later offending, Mr Duncan Smith will call for a radical approach to tackling rising crime in the under-16s.

Among the ideas to be announced will be the use of voluntary and church groups to teach better parenting, a New York-style crackdown on petty offences and more efficient use of teenage detention.

The proposal to assess every primary school five-year-old for anti-social behaviour is the suggestion bound to attract the most attention.

A pamphlet to be launched by the Tory leader will state that vulnerable children should be identified much earlier because early action can lead to dramatic reductions in crime.

The pamphlet suggests that families at risk of turning to crime should be helped at an even earlier stage, "through pregnancy, birth and the crucial pre-school years".

Support would link Sure Start programmes for the poorest with advice and help on social skills and good parenting. Underlining Mr Letwin's more liberal approach, it says smacking children will make them more likely to be disruptive.

"Good parenting more than anything is what protects children from the risk of youth crime. Harsh or inconsistent parenting and frequent hitting or smacking are both strongly associated with anti-social behaviour and later youth offending," it states.

A pilot scheme in south London showed offending was cut significantly when parents volunteered to attend classes.