PEER group pressure is a potent thing.
How many kids end up in trouble, not because they are inherently bad, but because they feel the need to 'fit in' and impress their friends?
Ministers have long argued over how to break the cycle of low level crimes carried out by young people which blight our neighbourhoods, such as graffiti.
Tellingly, thirty-seven per cent of us feel powerless when it comes to influencing decisions which affect our local areas.
That is something the Government is promising to change.
And what better way to start than by encouraging kids to take pride in their neighbourhoods by giving them responsibility for the areas where they live?
The plan is to create a band of 'kiddie constables' who would be urged to report problems in their communities ranging from vandalism to poorly-maintained buildings.
Those who file the most reports will be rewarded with a prize.
The idea is part of a £35 million Government project which aims to give people in Birmingham and Wolverhampton more control over their local streets.
Hopefully, these ideas will encourage a whole new kind of peer group pressure - one which encourages our young people to turn their backs on crime and instead plough their energies into improving the areas where they live.