Mixed views on the effectiveness of nightly curfews for potential young offenders

History suggests curfews have only limited scope for success as they fail to tackle the underlying problems and have the power to exacerbate misapprehension between generations.

Last summer, the small Cornish town of Redruth imposed a curfew on its children – and many residents declared it a success.

The scheme, Operation Goodnight, saw 680 households in the north of the old tin town receive letters informing them that for six weeks, from July 25, under-16s were to be home by 9pm and under-10s by 8pm. The curfew was “voluntary”, although all families were “encouraged” to sign up. Police said crime was reduced, but campaigners say it has made no long-term difference.

In 1997 it was the children of three areas in Hamilton who were the subjects of a similar experiment that was declared both a tremendous success and a terrible failure.

The curfew, introduced in response to complaints of antisocial behaviour, was known as the Hamilton Child Safety Initiative. In the first year, 280 children were taken home, but only five were the subject of criminal charges.

The official research was confusing. It claimed crime dropped by 23% in the first six months. However, taking into account seasonal variations, the research also showed crime had risen by 17% compared to the same six months the previous year.

In reality, the measure proved resource-intensive for the police – so much so that other forces considered and then rejected the idea.

Professor Bill Whyte, director of the Criminal Justice Social Work Development Centre for Scotland at Edinburgh University, said: “The motivation behind a curfew may be understandable but the evidence suggests that a curfew is a blunt instrument if used on its own.

“The question is what will run alongside it? A curfew on its own is unlikely to prove successful. The question is what support and activities are going to be introduced to try to change behaviour.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce curfews for people under the age of 16 unless they are implemented by a Children’s Hearing or indeed a court. There are sufficient sanctions available at present to deal with persistent offending behaviour.”