Tom Wood, Deputy Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police, said the Scottish Executive plans to use youth courts to try young offenders have not been thought through properly.

He said civil servants do not have an adequate grip on the area of youth crime and more resources should be used to tackle the small minority of young people who continue to reoffend.

I wouldn't criticise ministers, I couldn't accuse them of being unrealistic but there seems to be a problem somewhere in the civil service, I'm not sure where, but the message is not getting through

Deputy Chief Constable Tom Wood

The Scottish Executive has announced plans for pilots of youth courts to deal with persistent offenders as part of a 10-point package to tackle youth crime, which has become a growing political issue in Scotland.

However, Mr Wood said youth courts should not be seen as the single solution to the problem.

He told BBC Scotland: "Youth courts have to be part of a much wider programme to address the difficulties we have with the very few very serious offenders we have.

"The problem lies with a lack of grip of this whole area because it ranges between different remits and I think that some of the civil servants involved probably have less than a realistic grip of what's actually happening."

He added: "I wouldn't criticise ministers, I couldn't accuse them of being unrealistic but there seems to be a problem somewhere in the civil service, I'm not sure where, but the message is not getting through."

Tom Wood: Concerns about the civil service

Mr Wood was also quoted in the Scotland on Sunday newspaper as saying that the number of young Scots being sent to prison was a "national disgrace".

He reportedly said a major problem was the failure to deal with "a minority group responsible for a majority of crimes", and he called for adequate secure accommodation places to be provided for that hardcore group.

The paper said he told a conference last week: "The fact that so many of our men end up here, and a growing number of women in Cornton Vale is nothing short of a national disgrace, and worse - it won't work."

'Adequate investment'

Scottish National Party Leader John Swinney said: "These comments from Tom Wood basically vindicate all that the SNP has been arguing for over the last few months about the need for a twin track approach to tackle youth crime.

"There must be adequate investment in the necessary services to divert young people away from crime and there must also be appropriate resources in place to ensure that young people do not become offenders in the first place.

"However, we also need to tackle the small band of serial offenders and Tom Wood's comments about the need for further secure accommodation - a point recognised by the SNP some months ago - is the type of effective measure that is required."