Yes Paul, your comments put me in mind of the Chamberlains, whose marriage and reputation were destroyed by the media casting suspicion upon them because they were Christians.

Sorry about your bad luck, Individual. I have been to the police about teenagers behaving like garbage on a bus, and was backed by 2 bus drivers. The police went into the bus station and the schools. This seemed to improve matters out of sight.

I also went to the police about a schoolyard bully, but they couldn't bring a charge against the boy because he was 11 years old and labelled with ADHD. Despite this, he had been given a bit of a scare, and my trip to the police station was rewarded over the next couple of years, as the boy's attitude gradually improved.

Every time he saw me, no matter where it was, he would call out a greeting with a very great degree of respect. When I went to baseball with the class, he sat next to me and ate his lunch, read to me from his book and showed me his homework. Teachers couldn't believe their eyes.

When people get away with doing terrible things, it lowers their self-esteem further because a boundary line has not been drawn, and they are likely to ramp up their bad behaviour in order to find one eventually.

Maybe Individual could ask this kid why he does all this damage. I think I know the solution to this particular problem, but I couldn't post it here.

Lori,
You are absolutely correct, when it came to the Chamberlains. Some sections of the media went on a feeding frenzy particularly taking aim at Lindy Chamberlain. These irresponsible journalists, and I use the term journalist loosely, these grubs were not interested in justice, they used sensationalism based on half truths and down right lies to sell newspapers or win viewers.
I think the Chamberlains religious convictions was used to pump up the story, add the odd sensational angle, as well as Lindy's personality which played into the hands of the media. There were also a few politicians and police, who saw the Chamberlain case as a way of enhancing their careers.

ask this kid why he does all this damage.
Lorikeet,
I spoke with all the Police & one of the Magistrates involved. Also one of the community elders. The former told me that this kid is plainly devoid of any emotion, plainly malicious & getting bolder by the day because he tells that he can get away with it & once he reaches prosecution age he'll be sent to Prison which is what he wants because it is an initiation rite in his circles. The elder told me that the kid doesn't like school but when he wags school he doesn't get his school attendence money & when he doesn't get that money he breaks in & steals. His mate who is now of prosecution age is now training 8 -10 year olds how to break in. I have watched them watching us & they hang around the car park to see who is not at home & then they hang around & mobile phone contact to report when all's clear & then go ahead with breaking in.

I sympathise with you, Individual.

The DLP supports sending 15 year olds to TAFE where appropriate, whereas the Labor system supports educating everyone in the same overcrowded high school facilities. This leads to truancy and the problems you mention. High school students are also given too much free time to spend ANYWHERE but at school. This is something I would be eager to change, in order to improve educational standards and minimise costly vandalism, drug abuse etc.

This young guy is hopefully not beyond redemption. I would like to sit with him and see what he has to say.

The modern education system doesn't support any real sense of responsibility or discipline either.

The Greens among us would be aware that their party supports a "softly, softly" approach to pretty much everything, while the DLP supports a more holistic approach involving rewards, punishments, supervision, appropriate vocational training and rehab.

Lorikeet,
I have observed the goings on for a long time & the indisputable fact is that academic experts interfered with normal peoples' everyday life & in that process killed off common sense. This lack of understanding by academic social experts has gradually formed the idiotic society we are now.
You can not turn a criminal mind into a benevolent one if no punishment is dished out. Any village idiot can tell you that. If only we could swap the academics for village idiots we'd be a better society in no time.