ANYONE who who has suffered at the hands of juvenile nuisances will be delighted at today's news that a pioneering police scheme to slash anti-social behaviour is showing positive results.

Parents of more than 75 youngsters in the Ribble Valley have been sent a "get a grip of yours kids" message, and a similar scheme launched in Blackburn and Darwen last year cut juvenile nuisance by 80 per cent in nine months.

The three-tier scheme could have a far-reaching effect on crime figures.

Juvenile nuisance covers a host of activities ranging from knocking on doors and running away to spreading graffiti and making a din outside people's homes.

But juvenile nuisance also leads to petty crime and petty crime leads to the more serious stuff. Most of today's hardened criminals started their "careers" as tiny tearaways, making life miserable for old-age pensioners or trashing flower beds.

Once a child gets away with a misdemeanour he or she will be encouraged to go one step further. It is a slippery slope which often ends in ruined lives, both for perpetrators and victims.

Any policeman will tell you that there is no substitute for steering potential criminals away from temptation at an early age.

Sadly, there are still many parents in our midst who need to be convinced of this. It is difficult to understand whether their attitudes are the result of ignorance or pure apathy.

But too many are content to turn their offspring loose without a thought about what havoc they might be causing out on the streets.

These are the people who are being targeted by the Juvenile Referral Scheme.

Complaints about juvenile nuisance have rocketed in the last decade and many victims will give the scheme their wholehearted backing. It is a move that is long overdue and one which should go a long way towards convincing those irresponsible parents that their children really are their responsibility.