Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR - POLICE

This is article three in a four part series on anti-social behaviour. We have touched on interventions in the home, school and now the community.

What is the problem? In some cities you could describe it as gang warfare, but thankfully not here (yet!). No, our communities are being disrupted by groups of youngsters gathering together in shopping centres and other locations, sometimes drunk, sometimes not, generally being an intimidating nuisance to other locals and sometimes indulging in low level violence. This is on the increase. I have been out with the police several times, spoken to many of the youngsters involved and community groups trying to tackle the problem.

Of course, more facilities for young people would help. But there is not likely to be much council cash for our part of Plymouth (seen by the controlling group as idyllic suburbs) for some time. As you know I strongly believe that the real answer lies in the home and I am seeking to explore practical ways of intervening in this difficult arena at Westminster.

But I also believe that we could have more effective policing, and I am coming (reluctantly) to believe that we have a growing problem with policing in this country. Let me say straight away that this is certainly not the fault of individual officers most of whom are hard-working heroes. Nor is it due to the main man in charge of Plymouth police who I consider to be outstanding, although I am less impressed with the ponderous decision-making that trickles out of the Exeter headquarters.

So what’s going wrong? Obviously, the absurd red tape is one problem. If it takes several hours of paperwork to process one simple arrest, is it any wonder that an ethos slowly emerges of preferring not to arrest? But the force also suffers from management styles that are old fashioned, technology that is light years behind, and a growing culture similar to the public sector in the 1970’s – bureaucratic and putting the organisation before the people it is intended to serve. The fear of litigation and an over-reaction to political correctness both help stifle discretion and the kind of hands-on common sense coppering that we really need.
I don’t know what to do about all this, but I consider it time to speak out. Police officers do a very difficult and essential job. They deserve a better system behind them and so do we.

posted by Nigel on Monday, June 27, 2005

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

EDUCATION

I return to my series on anti-social behaviour, something that is rightly zooming up the political agenda. Two weeks ago I set out some thoughts about parenting classes. Thank you to all of you who have e-mailed or written with your own thoughts. I wanted to create a debate and I certainly have!

This week: how can we do more at school to crack down on totally unacceptable behaviour from a minority of young people?
We do not see this so much here, east of the Plym. We are blessed with mainly excellent schools and we do not really experience the scale of the problem. But when I discuss this subject with colleagues from larger cities, the picture is very different. There, for many teachers, it is not about education but survival. Every few moments a pupil assaults a teacher somewhere in the UK. Even typing those words I find it hard to believe, but I know it to be true. Locally, many teachers complain to me of a steady downward spiral of standards.

What is to be done? First of all, education is not like many services. Each child gets only one real chance at it and so we have to make sure that one person’s school years are not wasted because of the disruptive conduct of another. I am in favour of removing pupils who will not comply with school rules and who consistently disrupt the classroom. The head teacher should have the final say on who to exclude, no rights of appeal to second-guessers. Troublemakers will have to be dealt with in special “turnaround” schools. This will be expensive – but then so is the prison cell that awaits them if we do nothing.

Second, all my instincts are that we have created far too many medical excuses for bad behaviour. Attention Deficit Syndrome and its many off-shoots may well be the reality for a few, but for most youngsters, why don’t we call it what it is: you have not yet learned to behave properly.

If we stop treating something with drugs and focus instead on getting to the root of the behavioural problem we stand a better chance of turning precious young lives around.
Finally, let us give hard-working teachers the respect and protection they deserve. Too many absurd “human rights” claims are threatened or made by families of punished kids against respected educators. The law should prevent this except in extreme circumstances.

posted by Nigel on Monday, June 20, 2005

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

THE HOME

Last week I set out my plan to review the possible ways that government could address the growing problem of anti-social behaviour by looking at intervention in the home, school, the community and the media.

This week I explore possible ways of dealing with one of the core reasons why some children behave in an unacceptable way, often leading to a life of under-achievement and crime: namely, that they have not grown up in a home in which they receive encouragement and love, security or discipline. I do not know how many children are reared in chaotic homes these days, but I would think about twenty percent. This is not an indictment against single mums – many of whom never asked to be on their own and are modern day heroes. The causes of irresponsible parenting can be manifold and can afflict children from all backgrounds, whether their households have two parents or more.

But the consequences of children never being taught right from wrong, never receiving encouragement, never experiencing consistent loving discipline are plain for all to see. With few exceptions, they arrive at school already out of control and headed for a life of disruption. They suffer; we all suffer.

So what are we going to do about it? Irresponsible parenting often happens because the parent or parents have never learnt parenting skills, having grown up in dysfunctional households them selves. It is now firmly established that parenting skills, can be taught. Serious academics have run courses proving that fact. Witness the explosion of TV programmes like “Little Angels” demonstrating precisely that.

So should we intervene in certain households and try and teach these skills that many of us acquired growing up in more stable households? How can we make sure that the people who would really benefit would take part?

Here is an idea on which I seek your views. What if every new parent, before they can receive child benefit or other state benefits have to sign up for a course of parenting lessons, just before or just after baby is born, a course run by experienced charity workers. The only exception might be if the health visitor who visits all new mums ticks a box to say that a particular household does not seem to need such an intervention. For everyone else: no course, no benefit. This could be the gateway into a range of practical support and advice. Could it help?

posted by Nigel on Monday, June 13, 2005