Punishment is Clean and Simple
Swindon Advertiser Comment
20th February 2007 Page 8
www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk
CONGRATULATIONS to the Lyneham police officers who offered young graffiti artists the chance to avoid prosecution by cleaning their mess away - in full view of Saturday shoppers.

Congratulations also to the teenagers' parents, who care enough about their children to allow them to undergo a valuable lesson in life. Without that vital consent, the young people would simply have found themselves on the treadmill of the criminal justice system.

It is somewhat optimistic to think the young people feel they have learned a valuable lesson at the moment. They were probably mortified. But nor is it fanciful to believe they will one day appreciate the wisdom of the police and their parents.

Of course, such action would not work in all cases. Sadly, there are certain parents who take no responsibility for their children, and who are the first to shriek about harassment when somebody else tries to guide their offspring.