I caught a couple of kids red handed a few weeks ago who had broken into a school and caused damage. I gave a description to the police and told them I thought I knew where they lived. I had another witness to the break in and vandalism. When I made an enquiry at the school a week later as to what happened to the kids (everyone knew them), I was told there was not enough evidence to convict these young girls. This is what the Police told the Principal of the school. I doubt whether I would bother ringing the Police again. The paper work must have been to hard for them despite the damage (albeit a mess and broken window). The other line of thinking from the Police could of been that the courts would let these kids off anyway as they were from a 'disadvantaged' background.

Runners post highlighted what I meant when I said I prefer intervention or involvement.

In a similar situation I myself, I guess, broke the law by "blackmailing" the offenders i.e. telling them (and meaning it) that I would publish an article in the local paper about their extra-mural activities unless they got involved in a community project I had going.

They became the most enthusiastic "volunteers" I had but, more importantly, learnt respect for property as a result. One girl, indeed, turned her life right around and I found her on FaceBook recently as an Undergraduate/volunteer worker.

Similarly, I've mentioned before the elderly neighbours from hell who harrassed us and made our lives hell because of the numbers of young boys always at our apartment.

After making sure the rental agency had a copy of our rebuttals etc, signed by a JP on file, we held a party at which the two old people were guests of honour. They met all the kids, heard their stories and became the staunchest neighbours one could have - in tears when we eventually did leave. They even kept up their friendships with a lot of the boys.

I think the nanny-state, 'spiralling laws" dob-a-neighbour society some of us live in definately does polarise us, yes. But I remain positive that most people are not bad - more often we are fearfull, misguided or confused - and that there is lots of scope for us to resist the tendency to retreat behind the barricades.

A very long time ago my dad tried to bring us from the bush to the city.
From age 6 to 9 I lived in a Sydney suburb, 40 housing commission homes all battlers.
We knew, every one knew every one in that street, we knew the teenage girls two doors up had a party planed and every one visited every one this time of the year.
I went back, to this street in Granville over 40 years latter, each home looks the same.
We still meet some from those days, still the links are firm.
Those houses mostly are privately owned fibro cottages side by side,
People of middle eastern origin live there now, every home, and its still a tight nit community
In my country town its far from it.
Calling police? not worth the effort, at work a contractor threatened to kill my workmate.
Police said we can not do anything about threats, he must do some thing?
Kids who stole my first crop of apples? every one of them?
no anger I explained they had been my first, I wanted just one , would gladly have given them the rest, sometimes that is best way, anger never is.

examinator,

Given that the most frequent breaker of the law in Australia is government (at various levels), your question has a certain piquancy.

The workload of the various ombudsmen and administrative appeals tribunals around Australia is really stretching officers to breaking point. I reckon we all ought to adopt a policy, when we learn of such a breach of the law, to go to our local member of Parliament and demand that they raise the matter in Parliament or resign.

Now that's social responsibility.

Ah Boazy! it is Christmas time, although you celebrate the birth of Christ its a time of pagan celebrations long before that.
Long before man took bits and pieces of past Gods and pagan festivals and manufactured your God.
The thread has great interest, but we have been diverted once again, given its party time, your Christmas my beer and Barby on the veranda may I ask just a few questions?
Did Gods, all of them make some humans so you could condemn them?
That self confidence some from any religion have, you are right other wrong.
Did not your God say judge not less you be judged?
Many things divide men just maybe you are on subject.
See some men have continued to question others rights from the beginning of time.