BLACKBURN'S education chief wants children to carry a special street pass while out of school to help in the fight against truancy and youth crime. And Councillor Bill Taylor is pushing for police to stop youngsters in shopping centres during school hours to check why they are there.

He has written to Home Secretary Jack Straw and the Local Government Information Unit with his plans and is also appealing to the police for help. While Coun Taylor admits that his plans are still in the 'melting pot' it underlines the council's tough policies on youth crime - and is willing to pilot any scheme Mr Straw thinks would help combat the problem.

The council is already backing the Government's Tackling Youth Crime initiative and Coun Taylor believes that stamping out truancy would reduce youth crime in the borough.

He said: "We are in regular contact with Mr Straw and the feedback he is getting from his surgeries is that youth crime is a major problem.

"I believe a lot of youth crime and children causing a nuisance stems from truancy.

"There are too many children wandering around shopping centres, walking past police officers, walking past others and not being challenged about why they are there in the middle of the afternoon or the middle of the morning. A scheme where children carried some form of official identification explaining why they were out of school would help solve the problem."

He added: "I realise police officers have a lot on their hands but we need their help to challenge youngsters who are seen wandering the streets during school hours."

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