Watch over the loner
NEWS of yet another teenage gunman going on the rampage killing schoolchildren and teachers is horrific.
It's a growing trend and it's happening in countries around the world.
The common denominator seems to be that the teenagers who do this have been loners in school or college, with no friends, and often are either bullies or the victims of bullies.
Teachers must try to do more to identify these youngsters before they flip and do something dreadful.
I would suggest that those most likely turn killers are those who find it the most difficult to make friends at school or out of school; sit alone; are alone in the playground and are most likely to be picked on.
They probably don't do well at school and this leads to them feeling inadequate. Their inability to communcate with others to vent their problems means they become increasingly introverted and isolated.
If they are bullied, or picked on by teachers, they can easily suffer from pent-up anger.
Add into the mix the loner seeing his more successful peers having girl friends that he would like but can't and the anger can turn to hatred.
It's worse if that loner who tries to date a girl is rejected or, even worse, humiliated by her. You know how thoroughly unpleasant some teenage girls can be!
Now into this mix add the current recession – the inability of that youngster to get any meaningful job and the rejection by society is total.
Then add into the mix crazy nations which allow people to carry guns or access to them and there's the final cocktail for carnage.
The concept that the public can be allowed to carry guns is abhorrent to us in Britain. Thank goodness that in the UK a person so full of hatred to society in general or his class-mates cannot easily get access to guns.
Teachers and those working in education must always be aware of the loner in the class. Perhaps a buddy system should be extended to every school, and school-children should be constantly reminded of the importance of inclusion and to avoid rejecting the person who doesn't quite fit in.
Crooks in uniform
Remember the old addage "it takes a crook to know a crook".
That came to mind when I heard the dreadful revelation that more than 1,000 serving police officers in the UK have a criminal record.
Thanks to probing by the Lib Dems it transpires that some have convictions for burglary and theft. One has even been caught kerb crawling.
It's crazy that the police will reject a new applicant for the job of a police officer, but if a serving officer commits a crime, in some circumstances he or she will retain a job.
We've even got the situation where forces have thrown out a policeman turned criminal, only for the decision to be overturned by the Home office.
Is the driving force behind this the investment in training that officer and the cost of training another?
I know that in this world nothing is perfect, and it will never be. Police officers are under constant temptation – the whole criminal underclass would be only too pleased to bung a police officer a few pounds to get him on his side!
But coppers who go astray should not be able to continuing to serve as officers and those who have been found guilty of most motoring offences should not be allowed to work on traffic duties.
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Weather for Worthing
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
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