Caroline Flint: The lessons from Edlington: a grim testament to broken children, not broken Britain

The victims will carry the scars for years – the village they are from will be associated with a violent crime that was not of their making. Two boys from outside of Edlington, misplaced with temporary foster carers who could never have been expected to manage their behaviour, committed a crime that no child should ever witness, let alone

perpetrate.

In the Edlington case, we should be thankful that the most seriously hurt boy was found before he died – suffering as he was from hypothermia and slipping in and out of consciousness.

The ordeal of torture and sexual humiliation endured by two young boys has already raised profound questions about the role of local services that had contact with the dysfunctional family of these convicted boys.

No one can be satisfied that many opportunities to intervene were missed or not followed through – indeed we are right to feel anger about how many years children's services failed to function in a way to address families of this kind.

Did Doncaster's children's services need completely new management? Of course it did. Does the Government need to be robust where a council fails to provide the basic services? Yes again.

And what about the families? What about the families with traumatised, abused and feral children? The parents who want children, but who don't want to be parents?

I have written previously, that our society needs to get over the fear of big brother treading over family privacy and deal with some parents whose actions make them a danger to their own children and remove those children to a place of safety and a new life.

This is not about class or income. It is not about perfect parents or ideal family structures. I don't know anyone who is a perfect parent.

But this is about selfish, violent, abusive parents – who we would not trust to own a dog – but who can damage a child's chances of a normal life.

The children are responsible. The judge has heard the evidence,

listened to the pleas of mitigation. He has determined that they are responsible. Now they face the penalty.

I hope that during their sentences they are given the right help to prevent them ever committing a crime like this again and, if appropriate, support to start again, preferably many miles from Doncaster.

David Cameron believes this is a symptom of "broken Britain". It is a bizarre and outrageous claim. Huntley, West, Sutcliffe, Brady, and, yes, Venables and Thompson, the Bulger killers: these names are associated with horrendous violent murders.

Communities and society reel in horror at such crimes, because they are shocking – as shocking as they are rare. They are crimes that happened at different times – they were not typical of our society at any time. The family of the culprits do not describe our society today.

Yes, there are broken families. There are violent men. There are parents who shouldn't be parents – but there always were. Residents of Edlington will tell you that their village has less crime than in the 1980s when unemployment soared. The police will confirm that crime has fallen in Doncaster by about 10 per cent each year for the past two years.

Listening to David Cameron, you would think Britain had the murder rate of Detroit, Sao Paolo, Mogadishu or Soweto. It doesn't and never will.

The last decade has seen crime fall by a third by any measure. Our

streets are safer, our communities stronger.

In fact, Mr Cameron should reflect on the latest crime figures nationally, showing crime falling even during a recession. During the Conservative recession of the 1990s, crime soared. In fairness, it was not the fault of the police, there were far fewer of them to contain society's criminals and four out of five burglars were never caught.

Today, DNA evidence is catching far more violent criminals and rapists; there are more police; victims get follow up visits; households have Smart water property marking; more antisocial neighbours are dealt with and some who breach Asbos go to jail. Is there more to do? Of course there is.

The Prime Minister is right to say we must target the most anti-social families. Yes to early intervention. But, above all, let's not make the mistake of treading so lightly, or working so hard to help mum get her life together that the children's needs come second.

Recent cases have put paid to the well intentioned notion that a child always fares best kept within the family. We rightly spend a lot of money helping families get back on track for the good of the family and the wider community. In most cases, it works.

Now it's time to reflect whether the balance is right and, above all, make the right decisions to save the children.

Caroline Flint is the Labour MP for Don Valley. She is a former Cabinet minister.