HARDCORE young offenders in West Mercia are now being sentenced within 64 days of their arrest, new figures have revealed.

Home Office Minister Beverley Hughes said the fast-track justice would bring "real benefits to the public".

"By reducing the time taken to bring young offenders to justice, the chances of their re-offending are reduced and the effectiveness of the system as a whole is increased," she added.

The new figures showed that the length of time between the arrest and sentence of persistent young offenders had fallen significantly in West Mercia this year.

During the first quarter of this year, it was taking an average of 105 days. For the period between July and September this year it was 64.

The benchmark figure set down when the Labour Government was elected in 1997 was 71 days. The national average for the period between July and September was 70.

Lord Warner of Brockley, chairman of the Youth Justice Board, paid tribute to the efforts of police, court staff and other criminal justice agencies.

"The prize is that the earlier young people are forced to face up to their criminality, the less likely they are to slip into a life of crime and more likely the communities where they live are to be protected," he said.