Plans for the police to create databases of 'sensitive information' about young children whom they believe could become criminals will raise serious concerns about human rights. An adult whose name and personal details were put on a list of potential criminals would rightly be furious. What effect will this sort of action have on children from nursery age who could be under surveillance just for living in a particular area or coming from the 'wrong sort' of family? Will being under suspicion in this way actually help to improve their life chances, when so much needs to be done to tackle problems of poverty, health and education? Further, will the inclusion of a child's name lead to problems for them later in life if employers or others are able to find out that they had been on such a list?
Plans for the police to create databases of 'sensitive information' about young children whom they believe could become criminals will raise serious concerns about human rights.
An adult whose name and personal details were put on a list of potential criminals would rightly be furious. What effect will this sort of action have on children from nursery age who could be under surveillance just for living in a particular area or coming from the 'wrong sort' of family? Will being under suspicion in this way actually help to improve their life chances, when so much needs to be done to tackle problems of poverty, health and education? Further, will the inclusion of a child's name lead to problems for them later in life if employers or others are able to find out that they had been on such a list?
The notion that the police should hold the details of large numbers of children, many of whom it is admitted 'probably will not drift into active criminality', does seem to go against basic human rights. If each country in the UK had a children's commissioner in place, there would surely be a strong protest against this plan.
