YOUTH offending teams in the south are working with more than 600 wellknown young criminals to help them get back on the straight and narrow, new figures have shown.

There are 676 persistant young offenders (PYOs) currently known to the teams and Hampshire Constabulary for having committed three or more crimes.

Nationally, according to the figures obtained by the Conservative Party, the number of PYOs increased by 60 per cent from 9,868 in 1997 to 15,819 in 2008, while crimes committed by PYOs rose by more than 80 per cent from 16,010 to 28,834.