| Show Growth of England's Boy Gangs Attributed t to Post Post- War Post W ar Laxity Note A sharp Increase in juvenile crime In En England land a a. direct legacy of the war rear and a perilous problem facing facin the British and other governments governments governments govern govern- ments of Europe Is disclosed Jn In the following follo article fifth firth In a a. series By DAVID r. r Copyright 1936 by International News Service LONDON Aug 31 respecting Law England which England which delights in glorifying Americas America's crime crime problem problem now now has one of its own Of or persons arrested in London in m 1935 for indictable crime were below the age of 17 years cars and another 2519 were under 21 years old American department of oC justice figures for lor 1935 show that only 15 out of oC every persons arrested inthe inthe in inthe the United States were ere 19 or under unde The increase in juvenile cr crime me in England Is occurring among the very young according to the latest criminal statistics published by the home lome office Whereas in 1929 the number of oC children under 14 convicted of offenses offenses offenses of of- was the number In 1935 has las r risen risen sen to Children Turn Thief During 1935 more tha than was stolen in London by children under 17 More than worth of property was stolen by children between 17 and 20 Sir Philip Game police commissioner commissioner commis commissioner commis- commis of London asserts the peak age of juvenile crime is now lowered lowered lowered low low- ered to 15 years The Tho steady increase of ot juvenile crime in England in the last three years is caused by the exceptionally exceptionally exception exception- ally large age groups of children who were born the first two or three years after the war And because parents are unable to exercise effective control over their children according to a special special special cial report of the Hornsey education education education tion committee Nevertheless there are some modern children who still obey their parents There is Betty Lock of Wimbledon who ho turned down her chance of representing England on the women's Olympic team because her tier parents believed she sho was too young Boys Bos Are Worst Vorst After all my parents know best said Betty Nearly all English juvenile crime Is done by boys only one in 20 cases by girls But a student of juvenile crime suggests that the girls get the spoils from the boys bos after the robberies robberies robberies rob rob- anyhow The juvenile crime crime wave is further further further fur fur- ther attributed to lack of religious belief and to children with no pation nation The Bishop of ot London chairman of the social industrial committee of oC the church assembly attributes juvenile delinquency to the absence of at moral restraint due to the little religious training that many of the youth tod today receive Dr W. W Thomas eminent surgeon believes that religion meant more to the mother of a family 50 years ago than it means to the mother of 1936 There was the priceless value of the largo family as a training ground for such qualities as self- self denial patience fair play and other things that go to develop a sound character he asserts There is hardly any of this in the one or two- two child families of ot today Into thousands of ot modern homes religion does not enter Children get none nono unless they come under some good influence outside The religion that is taught at school often orten bores them and seldom Influences Influences influences their lives Dr Alfred noted Viennese psychologist said Mid In an interview Juvenile crime is increasing everywhere Why Unsettlement lifter after the war tho the unsettlement of parents the feeling among children that they have been born into an insecure world Gangs Are Arc Increasing Increasing- The pampered style Is increasing It is often orten the result of ot neglect By the pampered style I I mean the habit of greed the tendency to be Va nl s thinking what you can get o The neglected child not being given what he needs becomes the getting type If ho bo cannot get he takes Perhaps the getting style would be a 3 better way of putting it The London police commissioner says the young offenders work to toa a a. large extent in gangs I have noticed it everywhere They cannot get what they want in the schools They play truant They run the streets They associate with older delinquents The They get courage in gangs for they are usually cowardly cow cow- ardly Tho remedy lies in tho the schools We cannot reach parents by books or by lectures Those Thosa whom we most want to reach do not read rend do not care But we can teach the teach teach- ers How communism and l fascism are bidding against each other for forthe forthe the tho youth of Europe is described In tomorrows tomorrow's article the final one ona of this aeries |
