Fadden Pines Vandals Outdo Themselves

I could cope with cameras being monitored by police, but live feed to the web? The mind boggles.

I remember the lovely playgrounds we used to have, which were made of metal and covered with tanbark. Yes, kids hurt themselves. But they were a lot harder to break. Maybe it’s time to stop building playgrounds made of plastic and soft padding?

Remember the awesome concrete labyrinthine… thing out by the lake? And those tower tree houses with the flying foxes? And trees you were allowed to climb? *sigh* Yes I also remember broken arms, grazed knees, sprained ankles, but I don’t ever remember getting to the park and not being allowed to play because there was a burnt out car in it.

I used to live in a different town, on a street where we suffered a nightly routine of drunks staggering home and smashing windows, crashing shopping-trolleys into walls and general disturbance and damage. The place opposite ours was especially hard-hit – their front window was smashed over and over again during the first 3 years I lived there.

Then the cops put in 360-degree CCTV coverage all up and down the street. They were way up high on massive steel poles and there was no way short of having an RPG anybody was ever going to damage them.

Well, about 1 month and two scrote court appearances later the problem in our street vanished entirely.

Police CCTV is absolutely excellent if you’re not a criminal. As for matt31221’s extremely bizarre burst of paranoia – I mean, what’s he on? He makes no sense whatsoever.

Bring on more CCTV. Mind you they have CCTV in civic but apparently the resolution never good enough to identify anybody, or the cops forget to make sure they’re running or something. Useless shower.

I wouldn’t let my kids go near a public park with a 360 degree public internet camera monitoring it. Who knows what kind of sicko’s could scope it out via the website and then know when there are kids at the park without adult supervision for the sicko to abduct when they go home and walk out of camera range. What a stupid idea.

You do know your children are massively more likely to be molested by your family and friends than any “sickos” your imagination is conjuring don’t you?

LOL Digga! I’m sure that the developers are not THAT evil (okay, who am I kidding … of course they are!).

There was other vandalism someone wrote in a letter to CT a couple of months back where a piece of the plastic slide was cut in the middle of the night from a playground in Isaacs. Consequently the area was fenced off and who knows when it’ll get fixed. At least it wasn’t a torched car taking the whole lot out.

On a related note, I saw a flyer in the Woden library that talked about the playground vandalism. It says to call CrimeStoppers if you have any info. Then in a subtle paragraph on the back; if vandalism continues, playgrounds will be shut down. No doubt some prime blocks of land for development as most of them are in among residential areas.

Maybe the developers are hiring a hoon!?

That area of Tuggers gets a lot of hoon ‘blow-ins’ from Queanbeyan (easy access courtesy Monaro Hwy) who seem to delight in wrecking the place. I had a trailer end up on my front lawn one night a couple of years ago, that had been nicked from Jerra by Q joyriders. I am not saying this problem is solely attributable to Q thugs, but nevertheless it would be really helpful if traffic police could make their presence felt on Isabella Drive and that stretch of Hwy between Lanyon Dr and Isabella on Fri and Sat nights.

Mordd +1

Perhaps it’s coincidence, but the CT is reporting a number of toe rags being denied bail, and held in custody until re-appearing before the court. Apparently this has caused a rapid increase in numbers at the youth detention centre, which is geared to having a 50% occupancy rate.

Approaching 100% occupancy has meant that Govco are having to recruit additional staff to handle the increased numbers. Wow, great planning.

And thank you, ACT judiciary. If they aint on the street, they aint causing mayhem.

Mordd said :

How much would it cost to put in a rotating 360 degree camera mounted on top of a really tall pole in the middle of the park, broadcast the footage to the web and you wouldn’t even need to pay people to watch it, lots of canberrans would monitor the feed for free from home i bet. Put a big sign on the pole saying “You are on a live 24/7 internet broadcast, smile for the world wide web” or something. Seriously wouldn’t a little bit of money spent on a deterrent measure be more effective? CCTV may do little for crime in some cases, but there are cases like this where I think it could probably be the most cost effective solution.

It suppose it might help identify them . . . but in this era when people seem proud to post their misdeeds on YouTube . . .

How much would it cost to put in a rotating 360 degree camera mounted on top of a really tall pole in the middle of the park…

…and would you get a good bulk price on the cameras because you have to replace them when they get stolen/torched/smashed each weekend?

How much would it cost to put in a rotating 360 degree camera mounted on top of a really tall pole in the middle of the park, broadcast the footage to the web and you wouldn’t even need to pay people to watch it, lots of canberrans would monitor the feed for free from home i bet. Put a big sign on the pole saying “You are on a live 24/7 internet broadcast, smile for the world wide web” or something. Seriously wouldn’t a little bit of money spent on a deterrent measure be more effective? CCTV may do little for crime in some cases, but there are cases like this where I think it could probably be the most cost effective solution.

Remember people we are talking about Canberra, where everything gets swept under the carpet!

I doubt if the graffiti on the fences in my suburb show up in any statistics. The bus shelters probably do because they are public property and I have seen the clean-up crews there so that must be on record somewhere. I know two neighbours whose attempts to report letterbox vandalism (one while the kids were still wandering in the street) resulted in no action, and was probably not recorded. I have regularly seen damaged boxes up and down the street but don’t know how many have been officially reported. I do know it’s something one didn’t see so often. We lost one box in one of our three previous homes over more than two decades and two boxes in this house in less than one decade. My attempt to report some troublemakers in the town centre a few years earlier was unsuccessful. It spoiled my morning, I didn’t buy what I went there to buy, the store lost my business that day and for some time after, but it was never officially recorded. Such incidents were rarely heard of when I was growing up in Canberra. I don’t claim problems were unheard of, I remember a car window being broken in the government flats where some relatives lived, but back then it was considered unusual and no-one felt the need to rush out and buy car alarms and steering wheel locks. I suppose if the police are under-resourced to the point that they don’t note down or follow up the more minor incidents, and when they do the perpetrators get let off with a warning, the statistics aren’t going to show much of a problem. Didn’t someone say lies, damn lies and statistics? All I know is the changes I have observed over the decades that I have lived here, and the changes I have made in my lifestyle, the precautions I take, the things I would have felt safe or comfortable doing which I now would no longer do, and it sounds like I’m not the only one.

p1 said :

On the other hand, it was much harder to vandalise play equipment made from welded tube steel, with a thin layer of tan bark over the rock hard ground.

…ahahahaha…it’s funny ’cause it’s true…one local park I remember from my youth (in the 80’s) had three monkey bars…of different heights no less…a slide…and a grassy knoll…how could anyone vandalise that?!!

AG Canberra said :

The reason this happens is because the little buggers know no coppers are driving round at night patrolling. There are so few working each night (OT costs) and they are all off attending jobs. They have no time just to drive around and make their presence known.

Couple that with the fact that those who ARE driving around patrolling are probably in unmarked vehicles hoping to catch someone on their mobile phone, that the kids out-and-about see and believe their are no police out either.

AG Canberra said :

I’m happy to pay extra taxes if (and it’s a big IF) we actually see a presence on the streets on a regular basis.

Id be happy to pay extra taxes for them to swap the unmarked utes and vans for vehicles with big red and blue lights on top and ‘POLICE’ painted all over them, you know, like we used to see in the old days, that we as a younger generation knew and respected as authority.

*Sigh* Unmarked TRAFFIC vehicles have nothing to do with general duties patrols. General Duties police drive marked vehicles. Problem is, there aren’t enough cops to patrol each district. 3 or 4 cars patrolling the whole of Tuggeranong (90,000-100,000 people)is just not enough.

There seems to be a belief that in ‘the good old days’ there were heaps more police patrolling our streets. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I suspect police numbers are probably similar these days, but obviously population is much greater and covering a greater area.

Hugh Lews said :

If the cops even showed up even once, this would not happen, as much.

Huh? Even showed up to WHAT once? What are you on about?

Jim, you are talking about rates for all crimes, no one is disputing that.

Jim Jones said :

And yet, in Australia, crime rates peaked in the 1970s. Not sure of the UK, but I have some figures that show it dropping throughout the 1990s.

And I have some figures which say that global warming isn’t happening, 9/11 was an inside job and that the Raiders will win the premiership (OK, I made that last one up). The fact is, you can find figures to make almost any argument.

Another commonly used source of data is oral history. People DO notice change in their surroundings, and this is often accepted as valid evidence. Are you seriously arguing there is not more graffiti and vandalism now than there was 20-30 years ago?

In addition, I propose a RiotAct variation on Godwins Law. We can call it the Andrew Bolt/Alan Jones Law: -as soon as they are mentioned, the argument is lost. (Honestly Jim, you seem to follow them far more than anyone else).

.

Pommy bastard said :

I’m older still, 50+, and I damn well remember that I respected and feared my father’s wrath far too much to EVER have committed a act of vandalism.

Oh, but there again, my father would not have had a hoard of social workers, child protection workers, H&S inspectors, social services, school support workers, educational psychologists, and charities, banging on his door threatening to give the family counselling, support, mediation, arbitration, “knit your own garlic feng-shui celtic dream catcher classes”, and hoard of well meaning but ineffectual workers, to ameliorate the “family anger displacement management problems syndrome issue”.

I’d love to have seen them try. 🙂

I suppose that, unlike so many kids today, I was fortunate to have a father about to draw lines in the sand for me.

And yet, in Australia, crime rates peaked in the 1970s. Not sure of the UK, but I have some figures that show it dropping throughout the 1990s.

A big change has been that damaged infrastructure no longer gets speedily repaired.

From my late ’80s early ’90s school days in Canberra, I would say this is most relevant comment yet.

On the other hand, it was much harder to vandalise play equipment made from welded tube steel, with a thin layer of tan bark over the rock hard ground.

Another thing – all these people who are convinced that the yoof of today have no respect for anything or anyone: how many children do you actually properly know? How many of them actually fit this stereotype?

Coffee geek, beyond all the urban myths and horror stories floating around the internet, how many children do you actually know who “verbally beat down complete strangers, abuse teachers, and think it’s cool to harrass the elderly”?

Folks the question isn’t how you and your friends were brought up (superbly I’m sure), it’s how every other kids in your generation was brought up.

The kids in the 80s who were sniffing glue and sucking on bongs and vandalising infrastructure might not have been part of your peer group.

IIRC there was much fear of the dreaded juvenile delinquent back then.

A big change has been that damaged infrastructure no longer gets speedily repaired.

CoffeeGeek said :

Quoting statistics from outdated (referencing 1999/00 and 2000/01 statistics), emotionally charged, “point the finger at police” activist websites hardly constitutes research Jim Jones.

For real statistics, check out http://data.aic.gov.au/duma/duma.html and compare data sets like Offence vs Age for 19-24 year olds. Sure, property crimes have decreased from 31% to 25%, but violent crimes have risen from 13% to 28% since 1999.

The link you’ve provided doesn’t point to the stats you’re citing – could you requote? I cited that site because it links to a decent amount of offsite sources.

Regardless, you’re acknowledging that property crimes have decreased (I’m not going to argue that violent crime hasn’t increased – particularly if that’s what the stats say) but the context for this discussion is property crime, and all the examples given in this thread are about property crime.

Yet, all we hear is this meta-narrative of ‘youth gone wild’. If we were to believe all the people who’ve taken part in these kind of statements, we’d have to believe that youth have ALWAYS been getting worse and that the youth crime levels have ALWAYS been on the increase.

It’s clearly bullsh1t.

PB – have a look at the stats. You’re sounding a lot like Andrew Bolt: you do realise that reality takes precedence over belief, right?

I’m older still, 50+, and I damn well remember that I respected and feared my father’s wrath far too much to EVER have committed a act of vandalism.

Oh, but there again, my father would not have had a hoard of social workers, child protection workers, H&S inspectors, social services, school support workers, educational psychologists, and charities, banging on his door threatening to give the family counselling, support, mediation, arbitration, “knit your own garlic feng-shui celtic dream catcher classes”, and hoard of well meaning but ineffectual workers, to ameliorate the “family anger displacement management problems syndrome issue”.

I’d love to have seen them try. 🙂

I suppose that, unlike so many kids today, I was fortunate to have a father about to draw lines in the sand for me.

GardeningGirl said :

I’m with CoffeeGeek and Jungle Jim.

And I’m with GardeningGirl, CoffeeGeek and Jungle Jim.

I’m with CoffeeGeek and Jungle Jim.

For want of an edit button, I’ll just state that the “asshole teachers” addition at the end was going to be a personal anecdote that I removed at the last minute (quite half-heartedly it would appear).

Haha, sorry, I meant not even 30! I am 28 🙂

+1000 CoffeeGeek – I’m slightly older (31) but have the same memories as you of the consequence of doing wrong, being disrespectful or even being impolite – it was accepted that other parents or adults could (to a point) reprimand neighbourhood children without fear of “parent rage”. I also have very fond memories of playing in the streets and around the neighbourhood – bike tag, plaster of paris artwork on the street, frisbee golf etc.

It saddens me somewhat that many kids have lost that innocence that went hand in hand with the fearful yet positive respect of elders and authority figures (a number of asshole teachers excluded though)

Jim, are you denying there’s been a rise in petty crime, vandalism and graffitti?

@CoffeeGeek

whilst I agree with the gist of what you are saying…if you are not even 28, how could you be able to note the serious decline since the early 80s?

I am willing to be educated…my maths says you were born around 1982/83/84

Quoting statistics from outdated (referencing 1999/00 and 2000/01 statistics), emotionally charged, “point the finger at police” activist websites hardly constitutes research Jim Jones.

For real statistics, check out http://data.aic.gov.au/duma/duma.html and compare data sets like Offence vs Age for 19-24 year olds. Sure, property crimes have decreased from 31% to 25%, but violent crimes have risen from 13% to 28% since 1999.

Anecdotes about some magical golden-tinted past are not data.

People have been bleating this kind of ‘society is going down the gurgler’ crap since the time of the Ancient Egyptians.

I remember my youth quite well – I particularly remember people saying crap like “Today kids all know their rights, but have 0% responsibility. The world owes them everything. Teachers were allowed to say terrible, soul-destroying things to kids like “no, that’s wrong” and “don’t do that”… *gasp*. “

Nothing’s changed, except for the people who have gotten older and are absolutely none the wiser for it.

I am not even 28, and I have noted serious decline in youth, parental (ir)responsibility, and security and safety in Canberra since the early 80s.

For example, the house I grew up in in Belconnen had fly-screens… to keep the flies out. Now, we have security doors/sharkmesh/crimsafe etc.

We used to play in the street, walk to the shops, talk to the neighbours.

At home, and at (public)school, we were taught that every right has a counterbalancing responsibilty. Today kids all know their rights, but have 0% responsibility. The world owes them everything. Teachers were allowed to say terrible, soul-destroying things to kids like “no, that’s wrong” and “don’t do that”… *gasp*.

Parents were allowed to discipline their kids, and kids had a measure of respect, and a healthy fear of getting into trouble. Parents still, to a large degree, were the decision-makers in their family. Today, who rules the house? Definitely not the parents.

Kids verbally beat down complete strangers, abuse teachers, and think it’s cool to harrass the elderly.

Go back to your youth Jim Jones, and try to remember what consequences you would have faced if you swore at your teacher, punched/kicked/screamed at your mother, back-chatted to your father, or had a go at a total stranger.

The fact is, no-one is prepared to accept any responsibility for their actions. Children aren’t taught any pleasantries like “please”, “thank-you”, and “excuse me”.

Yeah, right, things are getting better…

If the cops even showed up even once, this would not happen, as much.

There’s some stats here (as well as links to further info): http://www.justiceaction.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=165&Itemid=33

Jim Jones said :

Youth crime rates are actually declining (not that research, reason or reality has ever stood in the way of fear and prejudice).

Or is it simply that less of them are being caught, due to less police presence?

Jim Jones said :

CoffeeGeek said :

Youth crime rates are actually declining (not that research, reason or reality has ever stood in the way of fear and prejudice).

Do you have a source Jim? I have only lived in Tuggeranong for a few years, so I can’t comment regarding the degree of deterioration over the longer term – but I have noticed a definite decline in our little patch of suburbia. When we first came here, we rented for a while to see if we liked the area before buying (try before you buy) … and one of the reasons we bought where we did was because of the vicinity of lovely spots like Fadden Pines (where I run almost every day of the year). I certainly think things have gotten worse in terms of vandal activity and graffiti – and I don’t consider myself to be in any way ‘hysterical’ or overly dramatic about this observation. Perhaps other commenters have hit the nail on the head – perhaps it all comes down to demographics (and teenage boredom).

Beyond Tuggers, I do remember visiting Canberra as an older teenager, and being amazed by the lack of graffiti and vandalism around the place as compared to Melbourne (where I lived). I don’t think this is the case any more.

CoffeeGeek said :

It’s interesting that many have noticed a decline in respect, responsibility, and the lack of any consequences for your actions.

Many have been noticing a decline in respect, responsibility and the lack of any consequences for your actions since at least the time of the Ancient Egyptians.

People whinging that the yoof are dreadful and frightening is nothing new. Youth crime rates are actually declining (not that research, reason or reality has ever stood in the way of fear and prejudice).

I’ve noticed the broken glass etc as well, we live in Tuggeranong, and just general disarray of the parks, footpaths, vandalism but I agree it’s the parents responsibility to be teaching their children some respect – especially for other people’s property. I’d like to see someone destroy the property of these hooligans and see how they feel.

It’s no wonder the government don’t want to upgrade playground facilities in public parks – as soon as it’s completed guaranteed it will be destroyed within a week or two.

This is why my daughter has her own playground equipment at home and there is no fear of her cutting herself on broken glass, picking up cigarette butts, or (heaven forbid) used needles.

There are not a lot of police patrols in the Tuggeranong area and never have been – I’ve lived in the area of Chisholm-Richardson-Gilmore-Gowrie for most of my life.

What Canberra needs is a fun park, like Luna Park, for teenagers

But then we’ll have a vampire problem.

It’s interesting that many have noticed a decline in respect, responsibility, and the lack of any consequences for your actions.

Check out 2 Timothy 3:2 – Seems to sum it up well…

http://www.watchtower.org/e/bible/2ti/chapter_003.htm#bk2

NickD said :

“I am noticing more and more smashed bottles around the streets, more graffiti and far more blatant vandalisation around the place, which I find very worrying. Maybe I’m getting getting old and becoming one of those grumpy old people who bemoans the ‘youth of today’ … or maybe things really are getting worse around Canberra; has anybody else noticed the decline?”

It’s probably got more to do with the age demographics of where you live. For a long time the part of Wanniassa where I grew up suffered from kids knocking over or blowing up letterboxes and tearing up plants, but this now almost never takes place. Not coincidently, the number of teenagers in the area has also dropped as the population ages. Teenagers trashing stuff for stupid reasons isn’t acceptable or any fun, but it’s nothing new in Canberra.

+1

No great change here. The area where I live is actually a lot cleaner, safer and nicer than it used to be.

It was also sad to see that (probably the same) idiots had driven a car onto Chisholm oval and smashed parts of the picket fence and driven onto the cricket pitch. The cricket oval is a great place to visit but now it looks derelict with about 5 sections of fencing smashed, broken and missing. There will come a time when the Vikings club will simply stop fixing and replacing these sections and give up. Sad times indeed.

And its not even school holidays yet.

the other night a car got torched behind my house at 3:00 am the expolsion was one of the loudest things ive ever heard

Agree a greater police presence would be good, but that alone isn’t enough, the consequences for getting caught need to send a strong enough message. Make it clear to the people who do such things that they are damaging their community, the places where their cousins and neighbours play, they are diverting money for repairs that could better be used for aged care facilities for their grandparents, better bus services, more school facilities, the list goes on. Make the kids attend working bees to repair the damage and beautify the surrounds, and to talk to the locals and explain just why they thought they were entitled to have “fun” at the community’s expense. Make the parents show up too. Cos I reckon a lot of it goes back to the parents and it starts a lot earlier than people seem to acknowledge. When I was small my parents directed me in my behaviour, wait for people to get out of the lift before you get in, let the other person through the door first, don’t kick the seat of the person in front, don’t run around the cafe and trip up the wait staff, empty food containers belong in the bin not on the nearest store shelf, etc. Going out was an opportunity to reinforce respectful considerate ways of behaving. These days it’s rare to see a parent saying anything. No wonder when these little children who never learned to be considerate of others get bigger, the problem they cause get bigger too.

What Canberra needs is a fun park, like Luna Park, for teenagers, there is not much to do here for them

Cameron said :

The destruction of it is disappointing… though from memory they certainly downgraded the central tower for safety reasons – any kid could work their way up their and simply fall off the top, so they ripped the top two stories off it.

I remember hearing many years ago, that it was ‘downgraded’ because a kid DID make their way up and fell off the top.

AG Canberra said :

The reason this happens is because the little buggers know no coppers are driving round at night patrolling. There are so few working each night (OT costs) and they are all off attending jobs. They have no time just to drive around and make their presence known.

Couple that with the fact that those who ARE driving around patrolling are probably in unmarked vehicles hoping to catch someone on their mobile phone, that the kids out-and-about see and believe their are no police out either.

AG Canberra said :

I’m happy to pay extra taxes if (and it’s a big IF) we actually see a presence on the streets on a regular basis.

Id be happy to pay extra taxes for them to swap the unmarked utes and vans for vehicles with big red and blue lights on top and ‘POLICE’ painted all over them, you know, like we used to see in the old days, that we as a younger generation knew and respected as authority.

I pay a shit load of taxes and I’m sure as he’ll not happy to pay more for what we should be getting anyway. But that’s just a distraction from the real issue – kids with no sense or community, respect or responsibility and parents who have given up because they are totally incapable of taking responsibilty for their malignant offspring. Introducing a degree of vicarious liability would go a long way to bringing some of this shit to heel.

Sounds like nohing has changed in the 15-20 years since I played there as a kid, what you wrote could describe the aftermath there after any public holiday weekend. Its not getting worse, you’re just getting old.

As to police patrolling the streets at night, thats a good one, id pay good money to see that, even during the day theres barely any general patrols, at night, forget it.

the kids are bored. back in my day (ha! it was only late 80, early 90’s) we had blue light discos, the roller rink at erindale, movies werent costing an arm and a leg nor could we download them from the computer before they even come out, we’d hang out at friends places, we’d go down to pine island and swim, not to smoke pot or freebase aerosols.

different times my friends… different times.

but really, what else is there for the hooligans to do except torch cars?

I’m with AG… more cops patrolling with more power to do something.

“I am noticing more and more smashed bottles around the streets, more graffiti and far more blatant vandalisation around the place, which I find very worrying. Maybe I’m getting getting old and becoming one of those grumpy old people who bemoans the ‘youth of today’ … or maybe things really are getting worse around Canberra; has anybody else noticed the decline?”

It’s probably got more to do with the age demographics of where you live. For a long time the part of Wanniassa where I grew up suffered from kids knocking over or blowing up letterboxes and tearing up plants, but this now almost never takes place. Not coincidently, the number of teenagers in the area has also dropped as the population ages. Teenagers trashing stuff for stupid reasons isn’t acceptable or any fun, but it’s nothing new in Canberra.

sloppery said :

Go for a walk down there late one Friday night, and when you see the little cretins doing this, beat the living snot out of them.

You never know, maybe it will work. What we’re doing now sure doesn’t.

Now I’m with you, one small issue, there are no doubt a group, snot’s tend to pack as animals have a pack mentality. And they no doubt will be armed, knives seem to be the cool thing carry these days, so it gets harder.

Having said all that, we can can form a group, oops I mean sporting team and practice our sport on Friday nights at the park……….I think a good fear campaign would soon see the snots leave.

Perhaps start spotlighting with cameras as a beginning, that will see the snots with less backbone leave first……..and then start the fun for the rest.

Torched cars down this way seem to be a regular happening. The underpass at the south end of the pines had one in it at Xmas time and last month there was one on the footy oval up that way. They know how to do it properly as well – nothing left but a charred wreck….

The reason this happens is because the little buggers know no coppers are driving round at night patrolling. There are so few working each night (OT costs) and they are all off attending jobs. They have no time just to drive around and make their presence known.

I’m happy to pay extra taxes if (and it’s a big IF) we actually see a presence on the streets on a regular basis.

I used to love that place. Three story playground with poles, climbing nets and a flying fox… the maze with the bell in the middle that you could climb… it was fantastic. I grew up in Gilmore and Chisholm so we used to go to that place all the time.

The destruction of it is disappointing… though from memory they certainly downgraded the central tower for safety reasons – any kid could work their way up their and simply fall off the top, so they ripped the top two stories off it. So I wouldn’t blame the vandals for that stuff.

As for the vandalism itself – I’m with sloppery.

Go for a walk down there late one Friday night, and when you see the little cretins doing this, beat the living snot out of them.

You never know, maybe it will work. What we’re doing now sure doesn’t.

Agree that this is a very sad situation as well and I’ve noticed the difference over the years.

I was born and grew up in Canberra and was chatting with some friends the other night about our childhoods and how we used to do dumb things like sneak out at night and play in the park (not vandalise it!). But we were scared that if we got caught our parents would punish us and, god forbid, if we ever saw a police car we’d crap ourselves!

We had a respectful fear of authority in those days (yes – you’re right I’m sounding old) but now everyone is so aware of their rights and the lack of police power that some don’t really care about how they get their kicks (be it tagging walls or stealing cars and burning them or trying to outrun the police) because they believe the consequences will be minimal.

It starts with kids not knowing the boundaries, getting arrested, slapped on the wrist and going off on their way knowing they ‘got away with it’ – and the rest is history.

Sad news – I’ve only been there a few times but Ive always been impressed by the place

As Dgood says things are getting worse with no respect for authority or for other people. Canberra no longer ‘works’ I’m afraid with too many weak politicians in charge and a corrupt and ineffectual judicial system.

I’d also love the Police to stand up and demand tougher sentencing and the freedom to do the job they are there for, they seem to have their hands tied behind their back most of the time and never seem to speak out.

I just wait for some moronic cretin to try stealing my car….

Sad. Very sad.