HOME SECRETARY Jack Straw will tonight tell North West magistrates to speed up efforts to introduce fast track procedures to deal with young offenders.

In a major speech in his Blackburn consituency he will tell the region's JPs they are falling behind other parts of the country.

Mr Straw said cutting the time between arrest, conviction and sentence of juvenile delinquents was vital to tackling the youth crime problem.

He said that in May last year there were just 11 fast track schemes for youth justice but now there were 120 - covering roughly half the country.

But too few were in the North West.

He held out Middlesbrough as a shining example of an area which had radically cut the time taken to deal with young thugs.

Mr Straw will tell the North West Magistrates' Association that this was an example to them of what could be done and urge them to follow suit.

He will say that it was vitally important that they did so.

Mr Straw will add:"Cutting the time taken to bring young criminals to sentence is crucial if we are to overhaul the way that the system deal with young offenders.

"The government is commited to halving the time is takes to deal with persistent young offenders from 142 days to 71."

He will tell the magistrates that it is vital this aim is achieved nationwide and some areas had led the way and shown what can be done.

One senior government source said: "What Jack is doing is telling North-West magistrates to pull their finger out and press ahead with the fast track schemes."

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