TEEN TROUBLE

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

00:00 – 04:48

Journalist Sam Delaney asks shoppers how much crime teenagers commit. Older people blame them for 80% of total crimes, but teens themselves are much nearer the truth, which is that only 12% of known offenders are under 18.

04:49 – 10:46

Ian Kirby of the News of the World denies that his paper exaggerates the teen problem and promotes fear. But the police think media stories ramp up public paranoia.

10:47 – 17:40

In Swindon, older residents are afraid of kids, who in turn feel despised. Shopkeepers use sonic 'mosquitoes' to keep teens away, and police break up their groups. All teenagers are punished for the minority's bad behaviour.

17:41 – 23:39

'ASBO Queen' Kerry McLaughlin did behave badly, but the way the press reviled her was over the top. Why didn't the media act more responsibly?

23:40 – 26:47

Stories about teens go back to the Sixties, when Mods and Rockers fought on Brighton beach, but sometimes the press had paid them to start a ruck.

26:48 – 31:13

Criminologist Will McMahon explains how the Jamie Bulger case in 1993 changed attitudes to teen crime and led to increased legislation and more surveillance. Yet, despite coverage of 'knife-culture', statistics show that more people die by falling down stairs than by being stabbed.

31:14 – 37:01

In Swindon, Colonel Bob Stewart brings teens and adults together to draw up a treaty to improve relationships.

37:02 – 46:02

Hooded teens, armed with cups of tea, hit the London streets, in a stunt created by a London PR agency to try to shift perceptions of teenage stereotypes.

46:04 – 48:00

The crimes of a small minority are used to demonise a whole generation. Better communication is one way to make a difference.