lawyer

Ministers say extending the age range will give authorities the flexibility to provide better protection for communities and young people.

The new law also allows the police, as well as local authorities, to make curfew applications.

Local child curfew orders were first introduced in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

As well as individuals, local curfew orders can be sought for trouble spots known to be centres of anti-social behaviour or dangerous for children.

But ministers decided that changes were needed after it emerged that no local authority had applied for an order, more than a year after the law appeared on the statute books.

Home Office minister, Beverley Hughes, said the new measures would help to protect communities and to prevent young people from taking part in criminal activities.

"Groups of young people involved in anti-social behaviour can cause fear and distress in local communities," she said.

"The police, as well as local authorities, now have clear powers to take any child found in breach of a local child curfew order home to their parents, or to a safe place."

She said the law would help to protect older children "from adults such as drug dealers or pimps, or older peers encouraging them into criminal activities".

"Changes to enable police forces to apply for orders will also ensure that they are used to maximum effect, utilising officers' detailed knowledge of known problem groups and areas."

Parents 'approve'

The extended curfew orders can cover the hours between 9pm and 6am.

They last up to 90 days, after which they can be renewed, and there is no criminal penalty for breaking them.

Ministers say the orders should not be used in isolation, but should form part of an integrated response to tackling crime and disorder, including local consultation.

According to the Home Office, a similar scheme started in Scotland in 1997 - the Hamilton Child Safety Initiative - has proved effective.

Evaluation after six months showed that 87% of parents of children returned home by police approved of the initiative, and crime associated with juveniles fell by up to 40% in some areas.