CYP Now - Editorial: Police should not be used in the playground

In January, a judge provoked a national row after criticising police for bringing a 10-year-old boy to court for using racist language against a fellow pupil. The matter should have been dealt with informally and not through the criminal justice system, said Judge Jonathon Finestein.

In early July, a teacher in charge of a school trip appealed to a policeofficer to help calm down another 10-year-old who had got into a fightwith a fellow pupil. Instead, the boy was arrested, then held in apolice cell, fingerprinted and photographed.

Calling the police when children misbehave is becoming more common, andmore children are ending up in court for things that in the past wouldhave been dealt with by parents, teachers or other adults close to thechildren concerned.

Professor Rod Morgan, chair of the Youth Justice Board, last weekcriticised teachers and children's home staff in particular, forresorting to calling the police when they should be confronting andpunishing bad behaviour themselves.

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