A girl of 10 was handed a £40 fine for writing on a neighbour's wall in crayon.
Shannon Smith's mother said her daughter was "scared and upset" because she had also been fingerprinted and threatened with an Asbo.
Shannon's mother, Helen Smith, 29, said her daughter had simply inscribed a small "S" in wax crayon on a wall.
Their home in Rawtenstall, Lancs, was visited by an officer at 7.30am after a complaint about graffiti.
"He then went and came back at about 8.50am and then wrote her out a £40 fine, took her fingerprints and made her late for school," Mrs Smith said. "He also said that if she had another four incidents like this then she would get an Asbo. What is wrong with a telling off, which is what they had already had from me? She is not even a troublesome child."
A boy of 10 also received a fixed penalty notice. But police defended the decision, saying they were committed to tackling reports of anti-social behaviour.
Sgt Paul Leigh of Rossendale police said the penal
2007-09-29 09:27:29 · 21 answers · asked by Fred3663 7 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
I would have suggested that she scrub it off together with some good old advice.
If it happened again then take the next step.
Since when do we issue fixed penalty tickets to 10 year olds???
2007-09-29 11:20:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
The age of Criminal Responsibility is 10 and there is nothing in Law that prevents the Police from issuing a Fixed Penalty Ticket.
I make no comment on the issue of the Ticket in this case as I did not hear the case.
2007-09-29 11:32:45 · answer #2 · answered by MANCHESTER UK 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
OK, instead of slamming the Cop's here, what about this idiot of a so-called mother? Where was she when her offspring decided to vandalise the neighbours wall, albeit in crayon this time..
The Child would not have gotten into trouble with the Police if she was being supervised by her so-called mother!!
As far as "Scared and upset"?? TOUGH!! DONT DRAW ON BLOODY WALLS THEN!!! why should the local neighbours have to look at her "Artwork" if they wanted "Art" they would get the local authority to commission it!!
Send the Parent on a course to learn what responsibility means!!!!
2007-09-30 02:06:06 · answer #3 · answered by John W 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
If the "crime" is accurately described in your question, I would have hoped the officer would have used some discretion. Just because a crime may have been committed, we don't always have to take enforcement action. Maybe the family of the girl and the "victim" could have resolved this without having first calling the PD, or later under the guidance of the officer on scene.
However sometimes we are "forced" into enforcement action by "victims" who demand their pound of flesh. Unfortunately this results in stories like the above.
2007-09-29 14:04:16 · answer #4 · answered by lpdhcdh 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I am a police officer and hate being in situations like this. The problem is that a crime has been commited. The government has introduced a system called NCRS...National crime recording standards. It means that if a crime is reported the attending officer is duty bound to act on it. If the officer does not do this the he/she will face a disciplinary.
The biggest problem with NCRS is that officers no longer have the power of descretion.
I would love to be able to drag a naughty child home by the scruff of their neck and give them and the parents a talking to and leave it at that. Alas those days are gone. If the situation gets worse then this is one cop thats ready to hand his notice in.
2007-09-29 17:19:57 · answer #5 · answered by carswoody 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
A n offence was committed the police came and did their job if they didn't they could be accused of neglect of duty.They cant know the character of every child they deal with but are being constantly criticised by the public for doing nothing about juvenile crime in other words they cant win really.
2007-09-29 21:42:59 · answer #6 · answered by frankturk50 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
There is of course a price to pay,eg local newspaper as in yesterday the 28th it was reported that a local officer had ,through a kitchen window as in open window,talked a woman into putting down the knife and not hurting herself.Very commendable we know,but why did the judge award him £300 compensation for bravery She was inside,he was outside Is this what the little girl is paying for,cos i dont know many groups of people who retire at 50,and its not all laying life on the line against a crayon is it
2007-09-29 12:45:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
There was a crime committed.
If she defaced property then she deserves what she gets.
A crime is a crime. A telling off doesn't work very well to stop this type of behavior. Hopefully the result of this means she will never do it again.
Having said all that - I agree that this is a little over the top and I would have cleaned it off if it was my wall. No further action.
Maybe there is a problem with the neighbour rather than the girl?
2007-09-29 09:34:38 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
Waste of police time for sure, but more worrisome is that now there is a 10 year old who doesn't trust the police. Who will she trust if she needs help? Makes me angry to see a child upset by a police officer. Not cop-bashing - but I went to an estate sale and left with the items I purchased. A neighbor saw me and my children leaving the house, and didn't realize the sale was going on. She called the police to say we were stealing things. The police had me follow them back to the house and let the people running the sale say I had indeed bought them. My kids were about 4 and 8 and they were horrified. They heard my physical description given over the radio as the police car pulled up. They were both in tears.
After the sale owner verified to the police who I was, I INSISTED that the police officer come to the car and apologize to my children. He didn't like it, but I didn't want them thinking that young that police were bad.
2007-09-29 09:35:10 · answer #9 · answered by .. .this can't be good 5 · 4⤊ 3⤋
If it had been my wall I would have been furious. Parents need to supervise their children. No it was not a waste of Police time. This type of anti social behaviour needs nipping in the bud before it develops into more serious crime. Good on the Police.
2007-09-29 09:57:58 · answer #10 · answered by flint 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
,The child committed a crime. Thank god Asbo orders work, am fed up with parents who cannot control their kids,and continue bleating about the police. Regardless of the crime an offence was committed .Am glad the criminal was *scared* perhaps the parents will now bring the child up right.
Now ASBO are a fact of life will we now see a generation of polite kids?
2007-09-29 09:50:52 · answer #11 · answered by naplusultra 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋