UK's Cameron says love will tackle youth crime

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) Conservative leader David Cameron will drop his party's traditionally tough line on crime tomorrow when he will say that love and emotional support are the key to tacking youth crime and disorder.

Cameron will tell a conference on social justice that a focus on the causes of crime is the only way to tackle anti-social behaviour in the long term.

He will attack shopping centre bans on youths wearing hooded tops or ''hoodies'', which were supported by Prime Minister Tony Blair last year.

Cameron will say teenagers mainly wear them to blend in rather than to threaten others.

''For some, the hoodie represents all that's wrong about youth culture in Britain today,'' Cameron will say, according to a transcript of his speech released in advance.

''For me, adult society's response to the hoodie shows how far we are from finding the long-term answers to put things right.'' Cameron will say that there should still be ''painful consequences'' for criminal acts, but ''a lot more love'' should be shown for those who keep within the bounds of good behaviour.

''To tackle youth crime and disorder for the long term, we will have to place real trust in the hands of the people and organisations that understand the challenges young people face, and can offer the quality of care and emotional support they need.'' ''We'll never get to grips with the problem if we leave it all to the police and the criminal justice system.'' Cameron has abandoned a slew of traditional Conservative policies since taking over as leader last December in an attempt to rebuild support for the party after it suffered three successive election defeats to Blair's Labour party.

A recent poll showed Cameron was more popular than Blair, who has said he will not seek a fourth term in office, with Labour trailing six points behind the Conservatives.

REUTERS MQA PM0837