Mark Hamlin thinks the youth of Tamworth have been served well but lack discipline and suggests another site for a second police station.
I would like to comment on two subjects that have been mentioned in The Leader.
First, is the young lass who is running for council. I admire and respect her thoughts and ambitions, but her ideas regarding the youth in Tamworth have all been tried and failed.
She states that she wants to be a voice for the youth, she wants mentoring programs, which have been done and failed.
She wants people that the youth can look up to and be guided by – been done, failed.
Tamworth is one town that has bent over backwards to supply recreation and sporting facilities to the Tamworth youth. It has a skate park, a youth centre, bowling alleys, movie theatres, swimming pools, etc – what more can the council do?
What needs to be done for the youth is to reintroduce strict guidelines.
If we want to help the youth of today, then turn the clock back. They cannot handle the power that has been laid at their feet. They are immature and need to be guided through the years where immaturity reigns supreme and there are groups that can do this. Parents need to regain control over their children. They need to be able to discipline them again.
Police need to have power over the youth, back to the days when you were told to be off the street at a certain time or you copped a size 10 up the backside and were taken home.
And last but not least, the teachers must be given back some power over the students.
You cannot even have a naughty corner in a pre-school, nor say to a child that they are being naughty, because it is negative and singles them out.
While ever these people have no control over the youth they will keep being out of control and the behaviour will only get worse.
Secondly, the talk of a second police station is great. It has been talked about for years in the rank and file.
But Coledale is not the place for it. If it was to become a reality, Robert Street Shopping Village is the place. It is far more central,has easy access to West and South Tamworth, while Fitzroy Street could take care of east and north, just plain commonsense.