Social workers being sent into custody suites to speak to young people who are under arrest. From left: Det Supt Brittany Clarke from the Met Police’s Violent Crime Taskforce, Emmanuel Umeh, Lib Peck, director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, Cllr Nadia Shah, Abdulkadir Arshe, Engage youth and community worker, and Chief Inspector Russell Hughes

• WHILE it can only be a good thing to have social workers engaging with youngsters who
have been taken into police custody everyone knows that it would be better for intervention and support to be more readily available for our young people long before things reach the police cell, (Social workers ‘an arm round’ youngsters in custody, May 19).

That, though, is the story of the serious damage done by years of austerity instituted by the Conservatives and their Liberal Democrat coalition partners hacking back the youth services. If we are really concerned about the future of our society we need massive investment in our young people – now! They are the future!

D WARD, NW1