I am fascinated by  the latest figures published by the Youth Justice Board profiling crimes committed by children, broken down by age group. It is the youngest - 10-year-olds - that fascinate me most, prompting the question as to how decisions were made in each case.

There were 2,298 offences committed by 10-year-olds in 2006-7 -

A staggering 534 of these were of violence against person, and an even more staggering 738 of these were criminal damage and 631 of theft and handling. 49 offences of arson, 18 for sexual offences (is this a figure that particularly shocks anyone?).

I would love to have been a fly on the wall when these children were charged to see how the decisions were made about their capacity to realise what they were actually doing...there is obviously an ongoing debate about whether we should raise the age of criminal responsibility (the UK has the lowest in Europe, I think) but the government has always rejected the idea...what does anyone else think?

 The problems that I can see are many fold. Yes 10 year olds are classed as children, but when you see the criminal damage they do, the racist attacks on neighbours etc are nearly always not followed up because they are children. So WHO are responsible. They can knock on a door and verbally abuse the residents about their culture, calling some a F***ing Bl**K Nig**r and walk away and nothing is done. It's a criminal offence and should be punished. Who do they hold responsible. The parents are just as bad, and when they deny it, what can you do? How can you prove it.

I have seen most of this first hand. My partner is from Zimbabwe and prior to meeting her she and her family were spit upon in the street. Kids knocking on the door and when they open it they would abuse them. It got to a point where the door was always locked and would not open it during certain times of the day and night. The kids were attacked, assaulted in the street. Burgled three times. She worked hard, paid cash after saving up for up to a year and having it stolen, WHY?

So, what is the answer. The other day a young lad stole my sons ball, I asked him to return it, and got verbal abuse saying Ni**er Lover. When I got the ball back, he struck me on the chest. He was 15, I could not respond and he knew that. He came to hit me again. If I had defended myself (I was a professional Martial Arts instructor), I would get a criminal record and lose my GSCC registration. Where is the sense of justice these days?

I will be glad when I eventually return to Australia where at least there are laws that allow you to defend yourself against actions like what I have mentioned. I am not a violent person, and hate violence. I have walked away many times from confrontations, when when it comes to the crunch and you have to defend yourself, here in the UK, you don't have a chance. The Police will automatically take what the young person has said until YOU (at great expense) can prove otherwise.

God Bless.

Rev Jack 

you mention parents - do you think the ultimate responsibility lies with the parents when 10-year-olds commit the offences you describe? What is interesting is the culture of punishment we have in the UK - evidenced by the extremely low take-up of parenting orders compared to the numbers of asbos or other punitive measures dished out to children...do you think we have the balance right here? Should it be rights for children and responsibilities for parents?

 Blaming parents is one part of the possible solution, however I believe that Gov bodies have taken away a lot of the responsibilites on how to cope and 'punish' their children.

Whilst I don't agree with violence, hitting children etc, I do believe that there should be some form of punishment so that the young can learn what is accepted and what is not. Asbo's don't work. They break them over and over again, and what happens? Nothing, because there is very little the authorities can do.

By placing them into a home does not work. They get all the rights, they get all the games they want, computers, TV etc, Mobile phones, pocket money, yet they still mis-behave.

I saw a company spend £16,000 on one report and 4 weeks councelling (1 hour each day). It didn't work. £16,000 wasted, and that's only one client. It was done as a last resort. They had been taken away on holiday and still played up.

I feel that we here in the UK have made is too hard to deal with child mis-behaviour. The police can't touch them, yet they can assault some elderly person, take his/her money, and get away with it.

Many adults of today have grown up with the same enviromental attitude as we have today, so can we blame the parents for what their children as doing. Many have no controll at all over their children, yet are expected to take the blame, and are punished if the child refuses to go to school?

We can have all the political meetings etc, spending millions on what is happening, and what should be done, but in the end, nothing has been done to truly come up with answers that are effective. 

I am afraid that we have lost controll over our youth of today. I don't know the answer.

Blessings

Rev Jack. 

Whilst I agree with some of the sentiments raised it paints a rather pessimistic picture. As a cub scout leader I spend a fair proportion of my free time with 8 - 10 yr old boys and enjoy watching them progress through the scout movement into well rounded young people. Organisations such as scouts offer kids the opportunity to spread their wings a bit and experience things which they wouldn't otherwise get the chance to do, keeping them off the streets and giving them something look forward to and be proud of.

However there is, in our unit, a long waiting list and not enough leaders / volunteers to support demand, and it is the same picture nationally among many similar organisations. I believe the answer is to invest in our children and allow them to have an enjoyable and stimulating childhood. Unfortunately it takes adults who are willing to give their free time to these organisations in order for this to occur and the number of adults prepared to do do seems sadly lacking............