Monday, 5 April 2010

Fire Bugs torch play equipment - who pays? We all do.

Over the last three years, myself and other councillors in Pontefract, have been working with members of the public, to support a public funding initiative, that amongst other things, would improve play facilities for children in Chequerfield. The Pease field group, have been getting ready for a fun day, to open Pease Park in April.

A huge amount of work and effort has been put in. Some of which went up in smoke when a group of about fifteen youths set fire to a set of newly erected play equipment.

These poor, troubled and sad individuals, come from the same ilk, as the sort of pathetic, fire starter, that torched Carleton Community High School, in 2008, something that, has cost our community several millions to start to rebuild and which, despite sterling efforts from the whole community, touched the lives of the pupils at Carleton.

Once upon a time, people that set fires were treated as a menace to society and typically, could count on being removed from that society for extended periods. We seem to be more understanding of these youths, apparently supporting their desire to be famous, or to have a bit of fun, when they are at a loose end and fancy some casual vandalism.

I wonder how many hours of community service, if any, these charmers will get and whether we could get them involved, in some sort of community payback, or is that asking too much, of our legal system / their human rights?

Police have said, that they will patrol the area, I thought that they already were, but realise, that they are thin on the ground in this part of Pontefract, time that changed.

I think we could do with some sort of example here, can we have one?

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