Government's plans to tackle knife crime branded 'half-baked'

The Government's latest plans to tackle youth knife crime were criticised as "half-baked" today as it emerged that some of them were first outlined over a month ago.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said young offenders caught with a blade would be confronted with stab victims on A&E wards and taken on prison visits to meet inmates jailed for knife offences.

These measures were introduced in a Home Office press release on "tough new sanctions to tackle knife crime" last month.

Lib-Dem home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said US research had found that showing teenagers the consequences of other people's crimes did not work.

He said: "Jacqui Smith is coming up with half-baked ideas because the Government has been in denial about the scale of the knife crime problem.