St Osyth: Stick 'em in the stocks (From Clacton and Frinton Gazette)

St Osyth: Stick 'em in the stocks

2:00pm Friday 29th August 2008

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A vicar has called for family prisons and the return of the stocks to halt the blight of anti-social behaviour.

Rev Martin Flowerdew of St Peter and St Paul in St Osyth has spoken out after witnessing a trail of destruction at Cowley Park in the village, which has long been targeted by unruly youths.

Last month, St Osyth Parish Council was forced to cordon off a climbing frame when two safety gates were destroyed, while village PCSO Rebecca Duff has called the park her main priority.

Rev Flowerdew, who says he has seen children as young as nine in the play area late at night, says the law needs to be tougher on parents if such problems are to be tackled in the long-term.

“If I was home secretary, I would make the parents responsible for their children's behaviour until they were 18,” he said.

“If a child committed a crime they would both be punished.

“Repeat offenders would be sat in the stocks in the heart of their community and publicly humiliated.

“Those who continued to offend would be sent to family prisons, where adults would be taught to be parents and children would be taught some respect.”

He believes that children and parents should also be given community service where necessary, such as picking up litter or cleaning graffiti.

Meanwhile, in extreme circumstances, youngsters should be sent away to special boarding schools to be taught right from wrong.

“There used to be one in St Osyth many years ago,” he said.

“They have been known to educationalists to be the best way to nurture young people who need special guidance.”

He added: “Parents need to know that the majority of us are pig sick of them allowing their children to grow up with no sense of respect for anything.”

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