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Parents criticised over Great Harwood war memorial attack

5:19pm Wednesday 9th April 2008

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Photograph of the Author By Sally Henfield »

PARENTS have been told to take responsibility for their children after a group of teenage vandals destroyed the roof of a war memorial shelter.

Officers believe a large group of youngsters were involved in smashing the roof and part of the brick walls of the shelter in Memorial Park, Great Harwood, last Friday.

It is thought teenagers from the town, Rishton, Clayton-le-Moors and Altham gathered in the park before carrying out the attack.

Police Community Support Officer Kath Stretton said: "We are extremely disheartened by this mindless vandalism.

"We believe alcohol is a factor and we are very disappointed that in many cases, this alcohol is being provided by adults and this is not acceptable."

She added: "We strongly urge parents to take responsibility and be aware of where their children are, who they are with and what they are doing, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights.

"Police will deal robustly with any instances of disorder, nuisance, damage or under-age drinking. Our inquiries continue to find out who was responsible for this despicable offence."

Police have been backed by local community group Friends of Memorial Park Chair Ian Wilkinson said: "Once again, it is sad to witness the results of antisocial behaviour within the park. These social issues extend far beyond our parks and open spaces and affect all communities and residents.

"Such events should be the catalyst for society to react, by debating and more importantly acting on issues such as the sale of alcohol to minors, the misuse of controlled drugs and the responsibilities associated with parental control."

He added: " We hope the memorial shelter will be soon restored and that by working together we can create an improved environment for all us to live in."

Anyone with information about who was responsible should contact police on 0845 1 25 35 45 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Nemesis, attitude adjustment says...
1:26pm Sun 27 Apr 08

Maybe a new service is needed, creating jobs and boosting the local economy, I present to you.. "Got an out of control teenager? Unable to cope? unable to help them turn into a respected adult? maybe you need 'Battery Dad For Hire'. For a nominal fee, Battery Dads can take your scrote bag teenager and return to you a well mannered, polite cherub. Through an intensive course of physical manipulation your child will learn and remember the errors of their ways, instilling respect for others. Caution Battery Dad products may result in some slight skin discolouration and slight swelling."
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Martin, Rishton says...
1:15pm Sun 27 Apr 08

Fair enough Nemesis but what about the teenagers who are completely out of control? Whose Parent's are probably just as scared of them as the rest of society?
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Nemesis, of the unclean says...
1:02pm Sun 27 Apr 08

Ideally we'd all like to see the police behaving differently than their parliamentary masters allow. Maybe not as sever as the Brazilian child death squads but something more akin to the attitudes of the Spanish Police, they don't take any crap. It's gotta be the way, fine the parents, let them beat their kids to a pulp when they can't afford their own fags and booze. If my dog Zack mauls someone I'd expect to be responsible, why so different for the animals responsible for wrecking this war memorial?
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Nick Gt H, Rest of the World says...
4:15am Fri 25 Apr 08

Call the police to a crime, takes hours!, call them to a photo shoot, there in seconds.Glad I left Arrod before the rot set in. It's a town of Pikies..
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boycott, stockport says...
8:13pm Thu 17 Apr 08

I agree those police are a complete waste of space. How about being proactive for a change..no doubt these louts go up there many nights and you will have the calls to prove it..as for the low-life that did this they and their Dingle parents should be publicly flogged and yes benefits taken away
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john, blackburn says...
6:52pm Sat 12 Apr 08

o look at the pic, the police sitting there havein holiday snaps taken ,if the police turned up when things get reported then half of this wouldnt happen , instead they turn up days to late ,sit on whats left of the shelter and smile for the camera.....to little to late AGAIN N AGAIN N AGAIN
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Don, Rishton says...
1:41am Fri 11 Apr 08

When the culprits are caught,Stop the childs benefit until the damage has been paid for, you can be sure it will not happen again if it costs the parents money.
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ian, highercroft says...
2:05am Thu 10 Apr 08

catch the teens and make the parents pay for damages,they will soon want to keep an eye on them and where they go,
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b macwilliams, greatharwood says...
8:47pm Wed 9 Apr 08

the kids in harwood want to be sorted out the damage the have done. we at the football ground have forked out about £800 to replace fence panels and they are just kicking them out again .
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Any Justice, Out there says...
6:41pm Wed 9 Apr 08

Well many of us would love to control our teenagers one problem if we belt them like what we would of got we would be locked up. No its not the Police's fault nor the Court's. Its the faults of the Delirious If you smack Children they become violent Brigade and the idiots called MPS we vote for. Please do not call me a Child Beater that is different then a slap . And by the way I am what you would call Left Wing who knows that not being able to control kids is wrong for society.
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jcb, says...
5:38pm Wed 9 Apr 08

Parents take responsibility for their children? Hmm, now that's an interesting concept!
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WRECKAGE: Chair of the Friends of Memorial Park, Great Harwood, Ian Wilkinson, PC Andrew Sarchet and PCSO Kath Stretton look at the damage caused by vandals to the roof and walls of the memorial shelter WRECKAGE: Chair of the Friends of Memorial Park, Great Harwood, Ian Wilkinson, PC Andrew Sarchet and PCSO Kath Stretton look at the damage caused by vandals to the roof and walls of the memorial shelter

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