Bored is not an excuse

This weekend some idiots put a smoke bomb in a stairwell in my ward. An old man got the fright of his life and others were seriously shaken up.

I have had several e mails and calls from irate residents demanding action and so they should. But the solution lies at first in their own homes. I have call for this before and I will again; its time we use the powers we already have to intervene in these teenagers homes and demand that the parents take responsibility for the actions of their children.

i am not talking about fines or jail here, far from it. What I want is systematic interventions that change behaviour. Its no good saying "there's nothing for the kids to do" or "they are just bored". Boredom is not an excuse for nearly inducing a cardiac arrest in an old man. We need to help parents be parents and if they won't take help voluntary we have to find ways of making sure they do even under duress.