Tony Blair's Britain,now i know he was wrong but my 13 year old?

Know How

When I was a kid (25 to 30 years ago, cough, cough) I did the same. We use to set some grass on fire etc... but that was kids and all the part of growing up. Did no harm to anyone. If you got caught, you got a telling off or smacked by your father.

Just a waste of resource with the Police getting involved. Tony "pratt" Blair for you. I thought arson would have been setting fire to someone's front door ??

Crysteenah

Consider this: One of the childhood precursors to psychopathy is fire setting. Sure he isn't a rapist or serial killer yet - but it needs to be nipped in the bud now. There is a criminology theory called "Early Onset." Essentially, this theory states that the earlier someone commits crime the less likely they are to "age out" (stop committing crimes once they reach a certain age, get married, etc).
This is not to say that your child is a psychopath by no means. But consider when you say, "He only set a fire and then lied to us about his whereabouts." Is that really ONLY? Couldn't someone have gotten hurt (maybe even him?). Arson is a felony and depending on what state you are in, your boy could be facing adult court. It doesn't matter who does it, the point is what's done is done. A typical crime committed by juveniles is shoplifting, truancy, and under-age consumption. Firesetting is not a typical juvenile offense. In fact, it is pretty uncommon. Take your kid to see a counselor and while you're at it, stop justifying his actions and pay attention to him. To a kid, even negative attention is better then no attention.

ragill_s1849

It certainly would be a lot better if we were still allowed to give kids a clip round the ear. But these days the kids would then report us for assault - sign of the times. Not being funny, but if your kid lied to you about his whereabouts and was caught, how many times has he lied to you in the past and been causing your neighbours untold grief? I'm not saying he has, but you don't know do you? Maybe it was the Police's way of slapping him as they managed to pin something on him? If it was his only misdoing though, it does seem a bit harsh - especially as it was only some paper. Seems a bit petty.

badshotcop

He's setting small fires now, but what next? Fire is a fluid substance, what if his fire had spread? If we could "slap him round the head" and bring him home without any repercussions then we probably would, but we can't. The law applies equally to all persons, and the sooner your son realises that if he does something stupid he will get punished, the better. I personally feel throwing the weight of the law at a young lad, to frighten him and hopefully prevent him getting any more daft ideas is a good idea, and you should support the police in what they are doing instead of allowing your son to see that by simply arguing back you can get away with it.
The other day we stopped a 13 year old riding a moped on the road, not a big thing I know, and the lad who gave him the moped to ride will get a bigger punishment than him. We took 13 year old home, he got a beasting off his parents. Next day we took him to the station, sat him down in an interview room with his mum and let rip. He won't be riding a moped again, not after the roasting he got.

l33na01

13 yrs old.... i dont care how old he is if you were on the recieving end of what these teens do you will see that the police are doing well send those bobbies down our end the amount of crap that we get from the youth is bad terrorising elderly standing on street corners intimidatingall that walk past. leaving litter as a trail... vacant houses being targeted has lied to you and yes you know it is wrong but what will a slap on the wrist tel your kid --ok to lie to parents and next time we will light the fire in someones yard/ house not street.? yes you pay the fines but atleast you can discourage your kids to lie to you as they know they wil face consequesnce to there actions!! dont have double standards one law for your kids and another for the nations hoodies

nicemanvery

You do the crime , you do the time , simple !!

muttentrumpet

rubbish you numpty
was the paper going through some poor old lady's letterbox muppet

cyclops

No , wrong, he need to learn, excusing it does not help him.
Do you want to wait, until he commits a larger crime.

frankturk50

I think people here have only heard half the story. Arson is defined as criminal damage by fire it is obvious your son damaged someone elses property.Arsonists kill be happy this was nipped in the bud.

James b

Youve been very selective in just telling us that he just set fire to some paper.

I very much doudt that your being completely honest with us.

Coppers and the CPS do not prosecute someone for lighting a bit of papers.

Tell us the truth mate , your kids been worse than your letting on.

The paper was probably on a rack in a newagents

Philbomoog

If the police didn't have to waste time looking after other people's kids they'd be able to spend more time dealing with the rapists and terrorists you refer to. Keep your kids under control and you shouldn't have a problem. I'm sure you'd be the first to complain if your child was slapped by a police officer, no doubt the police officer would be imprisoned for assault and your child would be free to roam the streets setting fire to things. Stop trying to blame others for a problem you have allowed to develop. What would you say if you reported a group of kids setting fire to something or smashing windows and the police refused to attend because they were to busy? No doubt you'd have another thing to complain about. Blair's Britain....people like you made it.

monty

When I was a child you were glad it was a copper telling you off, It was a lot worse if your father found out his punnishment and disaproval was worse, and so it should be. From little acorns grow great oaks, Nipping in the bud saves cutting of the branch later.

clare w

It's awful to say but he learnt a tough lesson if nobody had seen them the thrill of it could have urged them to burn other things eventually leaning to something with disastrous consequences, i have kids same age and personally i think it would learn them a valuable lesson, play with fire you get burned,

vk2peq

I find it incredible that adults would shout at some kids having a bit of a bonfire. Of course it depends whether it was in a dangerous position. But even if it were it would have been better that they had a talk with the boys and told them. For the cops to charge them with arson instead of a warning is ridiculous. There may be a small 'consolation' in that if he is convicted it is probably as a minor and will be closed when he comes of age. For all that, it is bad when a kid is not allowed to be a kid and that some adults always see the worst in their actions. They are like the proverbial man with a red flag. A cancer to society.

tiny_lou1965

Welcome to real life in the Uk..
I empathise so much with you, as our son is always being stooped by the police.. for walking with a stick.... ar just being sat in a park... i hate the UKs policy of picking on the teens..
Yes.. scare them, make them ashamed, but charge them with arson/fining the parents... what does that teach them...
Mum and dad get to pay out again!!

KAREN M

Depends on what damage (if any) the fire has caused. The definition of arson is to set fire to a building. Lighting some paper in an alleyway sounds trivial and unless it spread enough to cause damage to a building, I don't see how it can be classed as arson. My son set fire to my neighbours grass when he was only 7 years old, he's now 17 and hasn't repeated the incident. I'm told that I set fire to a cushion on the settee when I was 2, I certainly didn't grow up to become an arsonist. If a child finds a lighter or matches then they will play around with them, especially when they know they shouldn't, that's what children do. Provided that you as a parent take the appropriate action, I don't think you need to worry 2 much. I think the police have completely over reacted but unfortunately Tony Blair would rather spend the taxpayers money on taking trivial matters to court & labelling them as "antisocial" than actually catching criminals.

MR R SOLE

Im sorry but your sin needs to be disaplined nomatter now petty the crime is.

paul y

and you think the police are picking on you? well i think i got a speeding ticket for five over was picky too but they are doing their jobs ..I guess..you never see a dough nut shopped being robbed as that is where the cops hang out.

The cops are going to go after the easy ones first and the muggers, rapist, terrorist and the like ...well lets say the police would rather not get their hands dirty..hey I know I would rather face a 13 year old...but saying that a 15 year old just blew a Toledo cop away when the young lad was being arrested for drugs...hmmm..The cop had a wife and kids and was only 35 years old..but you are right..most of these local cops are just putting their time in and also the city don't want to be sued!

jeanimus

In my day (I know!) we had a bonfire in the woods, we made a fire in an old barn we hung out in, and me and my sister used to regularly 'play with fire'. We got caught in the barn. taken home by the police, got a good telling off, and a good hiding from my dad (probably, there were so many).
Cops these days are too concerned with hitting targets that they dont really give a stuff about making sure they catch real criminals. My sons got cautioned for 'theft by finding' because they never returned some golf balls to the golf club after finding them. Yet when I was burgled, had a witness to it and the culprits lived a hundred yards down the road, they didnt even investigate it. Huh

Moebious

What is the world coming to?

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