A two-day conference on child crime and what adults can do to prevent it is opening in London.

The Youth Justice Board's annual convention at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre will focus on developing a strategy for tackling anti-social behaviour and improving the prospects of young people.

It comes the day after a crackdown on anti-social behaviour was laid down as one of the key components of the government's proposed legislative agenda for the coming year in the Queen's Speech.

Lord Warner, the board's chairman, said about 1,000 people who work with young people to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour were coming together.

Initiatives

"We will be talking about how to expand some of the programmes which have been shown to work," he said.

He said there had been falls in street crime particularly in London during August when summer holiday programmes were in place.

The group will also discuss the success of 3,000 parenting programmes.

"We are trying to teach people how to handle and control their kids," he said.

He said the meeting was timely coming after the Bill was unveiled to tackle anti-social behaviour which included measures to combat low level graffiti, use of spray paints, fly-tipping, vandalism and dangerous use of airguns and fireworks.