In GP 130512, it was about 11-14-year-olds who are being investigated by the police for having vandalized trams and even threatening and lightly abusing people who told them to stop.
The article fails to really state why the young people did this. But I think young people feel a general hopelessness because the future offers them neither /decent/ jobs even after a higher education. Then many lose the energy to make an effort to qualify for society. At the same time, we become increasingly lonely and we don't care about those for whom things go wrong.
We must create a society with decent, meaningful jobs for all and with skilled jobs for those with post-secondary education. We need to create a society that picks up those who are unwell and brings them into a loving, social community. We can invest in schools, jobs and safety systems now or in prisons ten years from now.