Speaking after police made a series of arrests in connection with the murder of 17-year-old Amar Aslam, Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik said young people were trapped in a "culture of violence" which must be broken.

Amar died of head injuries inflicted when he was attacked in Crow Nest Park in the West Yorkshire town on Sunday.

It is feared the teenager may have been the victim of violence between warring gangs of youths who waged running battles in the park.

Police are investigating whether there is a link between the boy's death and the fighting.

Mr Malik, who lives a few minutes from where Amar's body was found, called for tougher sentences on violent teenagers.

But he said the real problem facing society was that many young people were part of a culture where violence was seen as an acceptable way of life.

He said: "We often band together these terrible attacks as being racially motivated when the reality is that ultimately, they are just about young people.

"More often than not it is not about race, it is about young people who have got involved in a culture where they feel violence is acceptable, either as as an offence or in defence."

Two 15-year-old boys and a 20-year-old man have been arrested and are being questioned by West Yorkshire Police in connection with the killing.