Gen Z scars

A CRACKDOWN on the number of people on sickness benefits is not only critical for the economic health of the country but also for the health of our young people.

Britain cannot afford for a large swathe of Generation Z — or any other generation — to be idle. The Gen Zedders themselves can’t afford to be left behind.

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Yes, many mental health problems are genuine enough, as Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall concedes.

But plenty more are self-diagnosed and encouraged by social media.

Many of today’s 18-25s have plenty to be stressed about — saddled with education debt, facing global financial instability and with rapidly diminishing prospects of ever owning their own home.

But the last thing they need is to be left languishing on welfare handouts.

Work will give them purpose, new skills, and an essential sense of their worth in the world. And they have so much to offer to employers willing to trust in them.

The Government must make sure they are learning skills that are needed, and make it easier for firms to employ young people and give them a leg-up in life.

Not put more and more obstacles in their way.

Non-policing

A NEW report for Policy Exchange has found that more than 60,000 police hours are spent investigating social media posts.

What a shameful waste of police resources that should be used to tackle real crime — such as rape, burglary, shoplifting, illegal drugs and the explosion of knife offences — and what an outrageous attack on our precious freedom of speech.

The probes are often not into criminal offences, like incitement to violence, but into “non-crime hate incidents” — NCHIs — that anyone with hurt feelings can make a complaint about.

Former Detective Chief Inspector David Spencer, who has highlighted this nonsense, is perfectly justified in calling for NCHIs to be abolished.

If they are “non-crimes”, then what on earth have they got to do with the police? Absolutely nothing.

Strike spikers

IS there any crime more cowardly than drink-spiking?

Pathetic men increasingly use this vile method to prey on girls enjoying a night out, and it is likely to get worse as we head into the festive party season.

Home Office minister Jess Phillips is right to describe it as a diabolical act.

Training for bar staff and security guards to spot the crime, and to help the victims, is welcome, but even more so is making spiking a specific criminal offence, rather than cases falling under several different laws as now.

We look forward to the perpetrators spending long spells in jail.