National Service could 'cut crime rates in teenagers', says SAS veteran

Billingham's proposal centres on a two-year mandatory service period for 16-year-olds, with an emphasis on practical skills development rather than purely military training.

Speaking to the Headliners podcast, Billingham emphasised how the programme would ease parents' concerns about their children's safety.

"You as a parent aren't going to worry has my child just been stabbed out on the street, is he missing or she missing, is he caught in drugs, you know where they are for two years: they're living a half-decent good life," he said.

The proposed scheme would provide paid employment for young people whilst keeping them in a structured environment.

The former SAS operative believes the programme could serve as a vital intervention point for teenagers at risk of falling into criminal behaviour.

Billingham delivered a stark assessment of current military recruitment practices, stating: "The wrong people are being recruited for the wrong reasons."

He criticised the public's narrow focus on combat roles, noting that military service offers far more diverse opportunities.

"As soon as you say military, most people's vision and perspective is conflict and war," he explained.

The veteran highlighted the armed forces' excellence across multiple disciplines.

"We have the best engineers, the best communications, the best medics, the best animal vets; that is such a great opportunity," Billingham said.

He envisions National Service functioning more like an educational institution than a combat training facility.

"It shouldn't be run as the infantry side, the war-fighting side, it should be the trades so it's no different to school, really," he emphasised.

Billingham's call for National Service revival follows earlier proposals from former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Earlier this year, Sunak had announced plans to reintroduce National Service through Army enrolment or community volunteering.

The proposal faced opposition from Labour at the time.

More recently, the Centre for Social Justice think tank urged Sir Keir Starmer to consider implementing an "army short service limited commission".

The think tank's proposal drew inspiration from an existing Norwegian programme for teenagers.

Their suggested model would involve 15 to 20 per cent of all 18-year-olds undertaking 12 months of military service.

Participants would receive apprentice-level pay for their service.

The think tank argued such a scheme would provide young people with "a sense of active citizenship and belonging".