I am writing to say I agree with recent letters in the Citizen regarding young troublemakers. It is obvious to those of us who were around when young people were disciplined for wrong-doing that the cause of the problems come from all the do-gooders who say you must not smack your children and that young people should not be sent to prison.

When corporal punishment was allowed, and teachers were permitted to discipline the children in their care, wasn't the crime rate lower?

Now the police have fewer powers and seem to find it an easy option to keep cautioning kids instead of dealing with them properly and trying to put them off getting into deeper trouble.

Cautioning seems to make children think they can get away with anything.

When I was young (I'm not exactly old now), I was smacked at home when I did wrong and if I misbehaved at school I was caned.

Okay, I didn't like it at the time but in the long term it made me a better person.

I can tell you that I was once charged with assault for smacking my son. The consequences were that I had to ease off on the discipline and, as I expected, he behaved worse as a result.

He's now in constant trouble with the police and I have ended up not having as much to do with him as I could not control him.

If teachers were allowed to use corporal punishment again, parents were allowed to bring their children up with some discipline, and the police were tougher on all criminals, we would all sleep sounder at night.

I'm not old enough to know about National Service, but I'm sure something similar would have a positive effect as well as solving some of the unemployment problems.

I suppose I had better ask for my name and address to be withheld, for obvious reasons.

Name and

address supplied

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