Attack root cause of vandalism: parents
Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today March 31, 2006
Should Wood Buffalo follow our sister municipality, Strathcona County, down the road to a night curfew on youth?
On the surface, it seems like a good idea. We've all seen graffiti and smashed bus shelters proliferating in recent years.
There's been talk of surveillance cameras to address random destruction.
A curfew is such a good idea that it's already been done. A bylaw exists to prohibit youth under 16 out and about after 10 p.m. in the summer and 9 p.m. the rest of the year.
The problem is that officials don't believe the existing bylaw is enforceable.
Some believe the Strathcona bylaw will fail under legal pressure, too.
There would be clear support for a curfew among the general population, but it's less certain the move would be legal, or effective.
Statistics provided by the Fort McMurray RCMP show that relatively few vandalism incidents result in the convictions of youth. Adults are more likely to be charged for these crimes, it seems.
The way things work in Fort McMurray is unlike the rest of the province, including Sherwood Park. The incredible affluence here, taken together with the long hours many parents are working to pay for the high cost of housing, leaves many youths at loose ends. They have money in their pockets, too.
Does that automatically mean they're trashing bus shelters and spray-painting the Steinhauer Bridge?
No.
While there are always a few bad apples, the vast majority of teens here are law-abiding.
Coun. Phil Meagher, who's not only a father of five but a high school principal, points out "kids like to have boundaries."
He also makes the compelling point that a curfew would give police another tool to deal with the bad apples.
The bottom line is that there's no real reason for a 15-year-old to be roaming Franklin Avenue or Thickwood Boulevard at 2 a.m.
But laws will never fix this problem. Parents are where responsibility must begin and end.
The question raised is: "how do we force parents to accept the responsibility of raising their children the right way?"
It will take more than politicians to solve this one.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.
Should Wood Buffalo follow our sister municipality, Strathcona County, down the road to a night curfew on youth?
On the surface, it seems like a good idea. We've all seen graffiti and smashed bus shelters proliferating in recent years.
There's been talk of surveillance cameras to address random destruction.
A curfew is such a good idea that it's already been done. A bylaw exists to prohibit youth under 16 out and about after 10 p.m. in the summer and 9 p.m. the rest of the year.
The problem is that officials don't believe the existing bylaw is enforceable.
Some believe the Strathcona bylaw will fail under legal pressure, too.
There would be clear support for a curfew among the general population, but it's less certain the move would be legal, or effective.
Statistics provided by the Fort McMurray RCMP show that relatively few vandalism incidents result in the convictions of youth. Adults are more likely to be charged for these crimes, it seems.
The way things work in Fort McMurray is unlike the rest of the province, including Sherwood Park. The incredible affluence here, taken together with the long hours many parents are working to pay for the high cost of housing, leaves many youths at loose ends. They have money in their pockets, too.
Does that automatically mean they're trashing bus shelters and spray-painting the Steinhauer Bridge?
No.
While there are always a few bad apples, the vast majority of teens here are law-abiding.
Coun. Phil Meagher, who's not only a father of five but a high school principal, points out "kids like to have boundaries."
He also makes the compelling point that a curfew would give police another tool to deal with the bad apples.
The bottom line is that there's no real reason for a 15-year-old to be roaming Franklin Avenue or Thickwood Boulevard at 2 a.m.
But laws will never fix this problem. Parents are where responsibility must begin and end.
The question raised is: "how do we force parents to accept the responsibility of raising their children the right way?"
It will take more than politicians to solve this one.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.
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