“TO GIVE THE NEWS IMPARTIALL®
WITHOUTFEARORFAVOR, |
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umbiasa

_ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 15

SECT OR INTEREST INVOLVED.” |

with” “vandalism | and the
burglary:drug scene involving the
very young nowadays, all the way
down to nine years, any plan with

half.a‘chancé to curb them should.

get’ a trial-run at least.

Certainly, bringing back the

curfew as propcsed in the city of
Port Coquitlam should be tried.
‘Many of today’s parents, them---
selves brought up on avdiet of per-
“missiveness, likely would welcome a
little outside help of this sort. ,
As PoCo Ald. Phil Ranger points

out, “some parents need a crutch to *

‘support them when they’re trying to
discipline their children.’ So what’s
wrong with the curfew as a crutch

he’s asking. If it can help with the -

parents job of teaching the your,
respect for law and order before

they reach the age when they might
become delinquents, it should be
given a chance. :

Police’ authorities answer that a

“relatively small percentage of chil- .
‘dren are -hard-core offenders,
perhaps about seven per cent, says”

- RDLRO RIAL

‘Coquitlam RCMP Inspector Marvin
‘Young. Both he and New West-

minster Police Chief Rod Keary

want tougher treatment of such —
. juveniles by the courts and arrange-

ments to carry out such sentences.

“Detention for the’ hard-core
offenders is the only answer," says
Chief Keary.

Pot = ©. CU ae | wort ry |

We're inclined to agree with him
— for the 15 and 16 yeer olds. If there
are hard-core delinquents in that

age group, their parents probably:

are beyond coping with them. But
getting younger children off’ the

streets at 11 p.m. is-more practic- —

_able for parents —. if aot for the
’ police who Chief Keary feels are
busy enough — and this has the addi-
tional value of removing them from
the influence of their older peer
groups. —

Parents who do not make a sus-

~ tained and serious attempt to do this

in fact may be a large part of the
present delinquency problem. The

curfew law can expose them through -

its provision for parent fines. :
That may be the jolt of discipline

~ they themselves need.

CReprodoced at the request
of Alderman Raper)