THE wrecking of Bradshaw Cricket Club by a gang of teenagers is the latest in a spree of awful crime by youths in Bolton, and Bradshaw has had a terrible time.

I have previously worked with disaffected youths. That the youths in Bradshaw hauled an 11 foot cricket sight screen onto a road to prevent police officers driving into the cricket grounds shows criminal intent.

It shows cunning in how to go about gang public disorder. It reminds me of a previous report of a gang in Harwood that caused criminal damage to fire engines. The same affront to police officers now as they show to fire fighters.

There will most certainly be gang leaders; bullies on the road to a life of crime. Many others will be followers, who without exposure to leaders, they would unlikely to be committing crime. Some children become harsh and defiant teenagers because they have had a childhood of harshness or unhappiness.

Other children follow them because they fear them or because being off school or college is very boring and being involved in mayhem gives them an adrenaline rush. The only way to solve this problem is to route them out and to punish them.

Excuses of alcohol or drug use should be treated with the utmost caution. Many of these young people may have done this type of crime before. They have got used to the adrenaline surge they get from committing crime and are on a roll. This is why clamping down hard on youth gang crime when it arises is very important. The justice system has powers and can send teenagers to youth custody for some crimes. There were some youths who were throwing metal flag poles at one of the men that day. Unless some of these youths are found and dealt with they may go on to waste their lives on a life of crime. Robust intervention is needed if anyone is motivated to saving them and protecting the public from them.

Councillor Sue Haworth

Bolton MBC