Parents act to stop the yobs
10:43am Friday 14th March 2008
WE have said before that there is only so much police and other professionals can do to combat the enormous scourge of anti-social behaviour.
The fact is that violence, vandalism and all the other forms of nuisance and damage problems are not just problems for the law enforcers.
They are the responsibility of the whole community, especially parents, who are in a unique position to put a stop to them by making it their business to know where their children are and what they are doing at any given time.
That's why the "parent patrol" scheme being piloted in the Mill Hill area of Blackburn is such a good idea.
Mums and dads are being asked to volunteer to accompany police on a two-hour evening patrol.
They will not have any powers of arrest but the hope is that they will be encouraged, and encourage other parents, to adopt a zero-tolerance attitude to anti-social behaviour.
And that when they do see what does go on let's hope they will quickly spread a feeling of disapproval that will shame even the parents of habitual offenders into taking action.
Community pride is the key to ending this blight.