Group To Tackle Youth Crimes 'spurred By Unrest'

Several members of the pro-establishment camp have set up a concern group aimed at addressing what they describe as rising cases of youth crime, saying this is linked to the social unrest that has gripped the city since last year.

The group, headed by the DAB's deputy secretary general Frankie Ngan, also consists of parents, teachers and lawyer representatives.

They said they are saddened to see a spike in the number of young people engaging in violent acts during the anti-government protests over the past year, adding that more must be done to stop them from being "misled" into breaking the law.

DAB legislator Holden Chow, who also attended their press conference, said they are calling on the government to take action.

“This is done for the safety of the youngsters, our next generation. Because we want to protect them from committing crime and we want them to care about their own future,” said Chow.

The lawmaker also said he believes some teachers are misleading their students.

“We have seen that some teachers, in the course of their teaching, they probably would teach students to join unlawful assemblies or even breach the law to reach their own objective. That is totally wrong,” he said.

Chow said there should be a mechanism to handle any teachers who encourage students to commit crime.

He also accused opposition leaders of encouraging youngsters to breach the law.

Chow told RTHK’s Priscilla Ng that they have come across a recording where a Civic Party leader said “leaving a criminal record would make your life better”.