Peter Bennett is a retired police superintendent with a particular interest in juvenile delinquency.

He tells me there are two main categories of offenders: The cunning criminals who plan their jobs carefully and are rarely caught, and those impulsive, persistent offenders who are almost always caught and clog up the system.

Bennett became interested in the latter group while on a sabbatical at Oxford University where he began to investigate the link between diet, health and criminal behaviour.

Crimes are committed for many reasons, including socio-economic and environmental factors.

Bennett, however, suspected that nutritional and biochemical disorders also play a major role. It is well documented that behaviour can be adversely affected by sugar and refined carbohydrates, food allergies, additives, vitamin deficiencies and heavy metals such as lead or cadmium.

In the early Nineties, while working for West Yorkshire police, he conducted The Shipley Project with the district's most prolific young offenders, aged between seven and 16.

The children - nine in all - were chronic offenders typically arrested more than once a month. Their offences included violence, criminal damage, theft, arson and solvent or alcohol abuse.

All were hyperactive and suffered from a variety of physical symptoms. Bennett had them assessed for nutritional deficiencies and food intolerances.

They were given individual nutritional programmes addressing their specific requirements while remaining at home in the care of their parents.

After six months, substantial improvement was seen in the health and behaviour of all nine children.

Five did not reoffend and two re-offended at a much reduced rate. Two children abandoned the diet and reoffended.

Says Bennett: "Studies suggest at least 70 per cent of the persistent young offender population in England has a complex array of biochemical, nutritional and health disorders, most of which are not diagnosed or treated.

"Food intolerances are a common problem in chronic offenders and include symptoms such as eczema, asthma, frequent ear infections, stomach-ache, IBS, reflux, migraine, poor memory, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, sleep disturbance and hyperactivity.

"Where treatment has been provided, nutritionally disordered offenders show improved health, behaviour and school or educational performance."

Needless to say, Shipley Division's juvenile crime rate went down whereas increases occurred in neighbouring divisions.

But the chief constable stopped further work on the project, despite its success, saying that health and diet were not a policing matter and should be left to social services.

Sadly, social services rejected the Shipley project on the grounds it was neither scientifically nor medically proven.

After 31 years' service, Bennett retired from the police force. He continues his work at the CACTUS clinic in Edinburgh and Middlesborough where children with behavioural disorders are treated with nutritional medicine and psychotherapy rather than prescription drugs.

The aim is to improve their physical and mental health so they can rejoin the community.

To contact Peter Bennett, call 01404 815992 or visit www.rehealth.com
Martina is a qualified nutritionist at the Crescent Clinic of Complementary Medicine, 37 Vernon Terrace, Brighton. Tel: 01273 202221 or email: martina@thehealthbank.co.uk