MORE Bolton children are being forced into crime by peer group pressure.

They also drift into a life of crime because of "less severe" punishments through the courts, a unique survey has revealed.

The report says schoolchildren are stealing from local stores because they have little fear of being punished.

These are the findings of a survey of local school pupils carried out by mother of two, Linda Hough, as part of her college studies.

Mrs Hough, who lives in Ramsbottom, conducted her in-depth investigation into the changing views of juveniles in the 1990s on the crime of shoplifting.

And the findings of her survey into the views of children at a local comprehensive school lay the blame for the increase in shoplifting cases on a lack of a proper deterrent.

Bolton Police chiefs now intend to use the findings of the report to help combat the increasing number of thefts from the town's stores.

Mrs Hough compiled the survey after circulating questionnaires to pupils at a local school. She also used statistics obtained from Greater Manchester Police and Bolton Education Authority.

The survey revealed that although children in modern day Bolton realise shoplifting is wrong they view the offence far less seriously than their counterparts did in previous years. Mrs Hough explained: "The punishment handed out to shoplifters in society today is not as severe as it was in previous generations.

"These factors have brought about a reduced fear of committing the offence, thus creating a change of opinion concerning the severity of the crime."

Her report states that "courts giving minimal fines to persistent offenders" leads to the punishment for the offence holding "little deterrent."

Other factors leading to the increase in shoplifting cases includes media influence, the recession, higher price increases and aggressive marketing - making goods difficult to resist.

Mrs Hough, a health authority employee, said her concern about bringing up her own children in modern day Britain prompted her to undertake the survey for the A-level project.

She said: "I was most impressed with the apparent honesty of the children who filled in the questionnaires. The finding in respect of peer group pressure did not surprise me but I was taken aback by the fact that they gave no thought as to the impact of their action on others.

"One of the major changes can be seen from when I was a teenager to the teenagers of today. One of the major changes noticed is that the rate of juvenile crime seems to be on the increase."

She adds: "I am the mother of two teenage children and the mere thought of them shoplifting brings with it a lot of anxiety as I am sure it does to the majority of mothers."

A schools pack giving advice to parents is available from Bolton Police's schools liaison officer, PC Steve Openshaw, tel: Bolton 522466.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.