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Teens trash 21 Quebec provincial police cruisers

The Canadian Press

Latest comment posted at 3:47 PM EDT 23/07/08

Sherbrooke police nab duo after run of vandalism ...Read the full article

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  1. Not The Real Jacques Parizeau from Montreal, Canada writes: We should introduce caning (flogging) like they do in Singapore to curb juvenile crime since parents are no longer authorized to discipline their kids. With a measure like that, those who are punished by caning won't repeat the offense. Fight fire with fire.
  2. R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: Not the Real Jacques...do you really think that bending them over the hoods of the cars with bare butts and whipping them with windshield wipers would really make any difference?
  3. boris moris from vancouver, Canada writes: Ah yes...the old 'Fight fire with fire' strategy. It's always worked really well...turns wayward adolescents into hard boiled criminals.

    One thing that youngsters can detect without fail is hypocrisy and they will lash out against it because even if they could articulate their displeasure with things like corrupt and sadistic police practices no one would listen to them...so they act out. Then you get corpulent couch potatoes going on about how they should be thrashed...yeah that will work really well (not).
  4. Ned Chiwalski from Oilberta, Canada writes: The caning might make a difference if it was public!!
    But on a more serious note, since these poor missunderstood children are minors, hit the parents wit the costs to repair all damages done!
    We have to do something to bring accountability back into society.
  5. Dan P from Calgary, Canada writes: How does 'trashing' 21 police vehicles only amount to five to ten grand? Do they mean per vehicle?
  6. JA M from Our Town, Canada writes: I'm surprised these kids were not tasered
  7. J Hare from Saskatoon, Canada writes: I'm with Dan on this one.

    James Hare
  8. Not The Real Jacques Parizeau from Montreal, Canada writes: Hey look I'm only 33 years old so I'm not from the jurassic era. But I still think that the way the kids behave doesn't make any sense. I don't want to paint them all with the same brush. But generally speaking, kids don't have any respect for others, let alone others' properties, they are rude and irrespectful, they are not accountable, they are lazy. We need to come back to values like hard work, integrity, respect for the law and so on.

    Of course, I was joking when I wrote we should cane them. But we have to realize the youth offenders act is failing these kids. We have to reward good behaviour and punish bad behaviour not the other way around.

    According to the Liberals, one might think we should even give shooting lessons to kids in Toronto so bystanders won't be killed when gangs fights breaks out.
  9. Fake Name from Canada writes: JA M ... probably these police didn't have tasers. Pity.
  10. ginny ! from Canada writes:
    meh. I'd give them a medal. Nuts to you 'hang 'em high' types.
  11. Scary Fundamentalist from Vancouver, Canada writes: We should probably give these kids some face shields and baseball bats to reduce the harm that they do to themselves when they smash police cars. Remember, it's a health and social issue, not a criminal one.
  12. M Irwin from New West, Canada writes:
    Ensure the kids or their parents pay for the repairs to the vehicles. If the parents have effective parentiing skills, the kids will never forget it.
  13. hockey mom from Canada writes: M. Irwin: - if these parents had effective parenting skills, these kids likely wouldn't be vandalizing - I agree with you that the parents should be held accountable for the damages.
  14. B A from Ottawa, Canada writes: Let the punishment fit the crime. Fine the parents for the cost of the damages and the labour it will require to fix the vehicles. Then, under the supervision of the police and the mechanics, have the kids fix everything they did to those cruisers. Change every tire. Buff, prime and paint every scratch and replace every windshield and windshield wiper, outside, regardless of the weather conditions. I'd prefer a sentence passed in January myself.
  15. Maatt Daamon from Canada writes: I have never seen laziness in parents like I have recently...
    These kids have probably had no discipline in life in general, and this may be the first time they have the opportunity to realize their actions have consequences...
  16. Grumpy The Grump from Canada writes: 'Not The Real Jacques Parizeau from Montreal, Canada writes: Fight fire with fire.'

    Off with their heads I say!
  17. Maatt Daamon from Canada writes: ha ha! sand in the gas tank!! Spoken from a true professional!! Far less obvious damage, and half the noise!
  18. sidney Goldberg from writes: Borris Moris you must of missed your morning coffee or get to kiss your favorite tree today. What kind of parent allows their 13 year old boy or girl to run around the street at 1:30 am. The parents should be forced to pay for their little angels actions. While I understand the pack mentality and that for some weird reason a limited number of 13 year olds have no idea what is right or wrong. These little Idiots should spend time in the Juvie Hall and be given a least a month in the system. They should also be forced to cut the grass or do some other penalty for a senior or someone else as a solid lesson. Borris I have a number of young Grand Niece's and Nephews they are certainly not perfect but even the seven year old understands that he has to follow rules. The difference is they prefer not to have their parents upset with them or to see them show real disappointment. Times have not changed a certain bunch of children never receive positive examples of how to live. I just hope they find a judge who is not so hung up on the Charter Of Rights, that they forget to balance the little twerps feelings with Justice. Sydney Joel Goldberg
  19. Doug Dewan from Canada writes: My question is - what are two 13 YEAR OLDS doing out at 1:30AM???? Where are their parents? The parents should be charged for the damage AND for child neglect if they weren't aware their 13 year olds were not home at that time.
  20. Eddie Kated from Canada writes:

    Corporal punishment is a good deterrent, and a hell of a motivator.

    Taser the little darlings and see if they make it. If their hearts explode, well, they will never trash public property again. If they survive, it will be a lesson learned.

    .
  21. true conservative from Canada writes: Two kids managed to trash 21 police cars (including trying to set one on fire!) and only got caught because a police cruiser happened to drive by?

    Wow, the Quebec police on really on the ball there.
  22. William J Gillies from Canada writes: sidney Goldberg from writes: 'Borris Moris you must of missed your morning coffee or get to kiss your favorite tree today.'

    And you, sidney Goldberg, must have missed your grammar lessons.
  23. Crimson The-Red from Canada writes: I'm a fiscal conservative which means I like governments to run surpluses, reduce taxes and pay down debt.

    However, I am not a social conservative... I believe in a woman's right to access abortion, in fact I think that perhaps not enough people are exercising this right.

    The idea of getting the parents to pay for the damage is a great one, but I would bet anyone, any amount of money, that the parents don't have any money to pay.
  24. Gomer's Pyle from Canada writes: Off to military school/boot camp with them. Teach them discipline and respect for authority and then into the military for a stint in Afghanistan or wherever we are sending troops at the time. They will become respectful citizens. Maybe the threat of this consequence will deter others from any similar actions.
  25. Ed Long from Canada writes: Age 13 out at 1:30AM????

    Busting up stuff is not new.

    Back in the day, my buddy broke all the windows on one side of the school.

    Note:This was before metal mesh and roll down shades when schools had big windows to let in sunlight because everybody knew it was healthy and a requirement for forty kids in a class to keep them under control and paying attention .... but I digress. Oh, the windows opened to let in fresh air and in the case of my WWII vet history teacher, to let him spit out.

    Anyhow, a teacher went over to my buddy's house and spoke to his parents. Next Saturday morning, the teacher picked my bud up at home and took him to a youth camp to spend the day cutting brush in campsites and repairing buildings in preparation for the summer holidays.

    My bud was terribly traumatized. He went from a lazy sh't disturbing brat to an okay student to taking auto mechanics to owning two service stations.

    The horrors of work ethic and responsibility and time from a mentor.
  26. L M87 from Calgary, Canada writes: The old skool way of dealing with this would be to make them fix everything they broke. Trot them out there after school to fix up the cruisers. When its time for dinner and bed, then send them home.
  27. Johnny Onenote from O-town, Canada writes: 'Kids these days...' Love those comments, and I certainly agree. I saw the same back in the '80s. I wish I'd grown up in the '50s - we'd all just ducktail our hair, grab a motorcycle chain, and get our aggressions out with a good ol' fashioned rumble!!
  28. Ed Long from Canada writes: To take the time to mentor kids means we have to feel a sense of community and have the freedom to speak out and take action.

    I grew up where adults were constantly involved with kids in sports, activities and dealt with the inevitable straying from the path on the spot, without challenges.

    The chance of the police taking them to the garage to clean and help service cars is zero because umpteen accommodators will line up with counseling and stuffed toys to hug.

    And if the kids' parents have money, they may even provide junior with a lawyer ... as did parents of kids who bust up a local school computer lab.
  29. j cloutier from pembroke, Canada writes: Why do these kids have such anger towards the police? What is going on in their homes that they can go out and not be missed? I wonder what kind of hell they live in to lash out at authority. At 13, they know they are doing wrong. I believe the child protection agency should be involved as well as the court system. The parents should be charged with neglect. Also, the Quebec court system should be blamed as well, since one judge dismissed one father's right to consequence his child by over-ruling his decision to ground her from a 3-day grade 6 trip. What the hell is going on with the system in Quebec? No wonder the kids are running wild!!! Who is running the show? Wait...I know...the KIDS!!
  30. Carolyn Bongiorno from Glenham,NY, United States writes: It's all Paul McCartney's fault.

    Allez, Macca.
  31. Pete H from Canada writes: Ed Long from Canada writes:
    The horrors of work ethic and responsibility and time from a mentor

    Great story, that's how things used to get done and still done in some families. Unfortunatly today, there's a crowd who would say that is exploiting the poor misguided youth.
  32. Mark Stone from Detroit, United States writes: They thought they were in Paris after the election...
  33. neil b from edmonton, Canada writes: Unfortunately, the law and order people in cuebek have left the province. Some weeks ago the police in montreal had their cruisers trashed in a riot, not a cop in sight, that's the same as spitting on a cops badge.

    And it happened again. I guess the little vermin run cuebec. What a distinct society.
  34. M Poland from Calgary, Canada writes: Bill their parents for the damage. Then, natural justice will take its course.
  35. Spence Cole from Vancouver, Canada writes: If the kids were First Nation's folk in Ontario, a Toronto would-be lawyer, who is actually a math teacher, would be insisting that the head of the Quebec Police (The Surete de Quebec) be fired for allowing the cars to be parked in plain view and thus provoke the kids. Peter Kormos would defend the kids and suggest counseling with Dr. Phil. And The Toronto Star would run an editorial in agreement!
  36. Who Are You from Canada writes: Crimson The-Red wrote: 'The idea of getting the parents to pay for the damage is a great one, but I would bet anyone, any amount of money, that the parents don't have any money to pay.'

    I'll take up your bet Crimson. I live in a fairly affluent area, with a not so affluent pocket tucked into it. Whenever there is vanadalism or graffiti the poor kids get fingered. But mostly (when caught in the act) it is the spoilt, bored, rich kids, who have never wanted for anything and so have never had respect or accountability instilled in them, who are the culprits. If the parents have the money, make 'em pay.

    Oh and Craig Cooper and Eddie Kated ......... GROW UP for gawd's sake.
  37. C K from Kitchener, Canada writes: Not The Real Jacques Parizeau from Montreal, Canada writes: Hey look I'm only 33 years old so I'm not from the jurassic era. But I still think that the way the kids behave doesn't make any sense. I don't want to paint them all with the same brush. But generally speaking, kids don't have any respect for others, let alone others' properties, they are rude and irrespectful, they are not accountable, they are lazy. We need to come back to values like hard work, integrity, respect for the law and so on. Right on.....but the problem is the last line above where you wrote 'We need' - WE? We who? Since when do WE, me, my husband, his sister, my brother, you get the point - since WHEN do WE need to bring back values, hard work, integrity etc. for those kids whose parents are of the 'oh, ok timmy, it's ok if you don't feel like going to school, or eating what I just spent an hour making for dinner, or playing outside' value system - PARENTS are the ones who need to instill it and the largesse and complacency and 'whatever' attitude of the parents today is disgusting and apathy is at an all time high. Everyone expects everyone else to do their job for them, but since when does that also include us being parents to these miscreants? Let's focus on the parents who are too busy sucking back a Bud with their friends on the deck to take an interest in what their kids are up to in front of the computer...let's not give children such incredible decision making powers because guess what? Children sense weakness and will manipulate (although not with malicious intent) as often as they can - it is human nature and it is incumbent upon us as parents to be parents and NOT our child's best 'buddy'.
  38. sidney Goldberg from writes: William J. Gilles thank you professor for your excellant opinion regarding my spelling. I just revisited the article and it was about some 13 year old's damaging police vehicles. I tried to find the part about grammar and it was not there. Where is your opinion regarding the article itself, or were you to busy playing editor to actually read it. Elite people like you with an ego bigger than their brain scare me. Your not concerned about what the young innocents did only about my spelling. Should I apply to write for the G & M or be an editor I will truly value your opinion. I'm much more concerned about the crime and what kind of punishment these lovely little innocents receive. No doubt your part of that bunch who feels a need to cry with them. Sydney Joel Goldberg
  39. Remain Nameless from Canada writes: Trow da book hat dem! (Who hone da Chiefs?)
  40. Archie 1954 from Vancouver, Canada writes: My wife and I have two boys who are now 25 and 23 but who never did any of the egregious things you see and hear of kids doing when they grow up. Why is that? We live in a very wealthy neighbourhood but we ourselves are not wealthy. Both of us spent a great deal of our time with our sons. My wife attended their schools as a vounteer right from kindergarten through grade 12 and we had many a youth function whether parties, BBQs or music rehearsals at our home and I have to admit I kept both boys in line insisting on knowing where they were at all times. Many other parents and the boys friends ridiculed us as being too in their faces (we were known as the Gestapo) but I don't think the boys complained too loudly, at least not to my face. As a result of such effort both boys graduated from grade 12 with respectively a 93 and a 95 percent average. They have both now graduated for university with engineering degrees. Now just so you know I didn't mistreat them, as a reward for their diligence I gave one a new BMW convertible and the other a Porsche Boxster. But once again I pulled a parental perogative, and not wanting them to race these vehicles I ordered them both with the smallest engines possible, much to my boys chagrin but the ploy worked. So what is the gist of this narrative? Just that you reap what you sow.
  41. Heather Wilkey from Calgary, Canada writes: Holding the parents accountable seems a bit of an oxymoron, as accountable parents don't let their 13 year olds out of the house in the wee hours of the morning. Forget the parents as a lost cause.

    Let's make it all about the rehabilitation of the kids. As they seem to have neither a sense of community nor a sense of the roll police play in it, wouldn't it seem an excellent idea to have them work off the cost by fixing up the cars they damaged? A little lesson learned now might prevent a more serious escalation by the time they reach their late teens.
  42. ryan jensen from hamilton, Canada writes: So my kid spent the week with me. He did something stupid and people commented that the parent (me) should be held liable.

    And I laughed and I laughed because the courts gave full custody to mom. So I encouraged the child to damage somemore.

    What better way for a single dad to screw his ex.

    **The above account is FICTIONAL. But the reality is that single moms with full custody CAN NOT afford their childs liabilities and the dads are off the hook because they have visitation rights but not legal/custodial rights.
  43. Jacques Shellac from Montreal, QC, Canada writes: Jesus you corporal punishment people are so bloody predictable. You really think kids didn't do stupid things when you where young? Of course they did, I knew some of them. They did it in the good old days, and they do it now, and they'll do it tomorrow, regardless of whether you beat them or not.

    There are more productive means of punishment than caning 13 year old kids.
  44. Rachelle W from Kirkland, United States writes: Gee, that doesn't resemble the Eastern Townships I grew up in. Whatever happened to my country, or the ET specifically, since I left? It used to be so quiet there, you could hear your neighbour snore while your door remained unlocked all night.

    Please tell me it hasn't gone as crazy as the U.S.
  45. Yvonne Wackernagel from Woodville, Canada writes: You don't start training a child when they are 8, 9, 12, 13, etc. You start at 2 years of age, yes 2., One of my sons runs two cadet corps and it is amazing how many mothers call up for their kids' enrolments who claim they can't do anything with them and need some help. The younger groups are for 9-13 yr. olds.
  46. ryan jensen from hamilton, Canada writes: @ Sydney Joel Goldberg

    Well said if not well spelled.

    @ Archie 1954

    Poor people without university degrees are not people without social morals. They are poor people, thats all.
    Most people dont grow up bad and most people dont end up with university degrees. But they grow up. You sir obviously have not.
  47. Orville Murphy from Canada writes: Kids trying it on. Make the parents pay for all the damages and the attitudes will be adjusted accordingly. This is no biggie.
  48. Ed Biggler from Philadelphia, United States writes: We need to look at the root causes. We are all to blame. Punishing them will only make matters worse. U.S. President George W. Bush and the United States are to blame. Besides, fossil fuel burning police cars are scary.

    Am I thinking in a sufficiently Canadian way?
  49. Jesse Winger from Calgary SW, Canada writes: A-hole kids have A-hole parents. Get their butts into court, too!
  50. Yvonne Wackernagel from Woodville, Canada writes: Archie 1954 from Vancouver, Canada : Sir, I congratulate you. We dealt the same way with our kids, which included the gentle discipline, setting examples in the home, encouraging them to have a mind of their own, making their own decisions, being leaders and not followers in their community, encouraging other kids to come to our house, having a lot of good healthy food around to tempt them and generally creating and maintaining a happy, stimulating environment in our own home, encouraging their friends to visit as often as they would like and behave according to OUR RULES. I must admit, for me as Mother, it was sometimes difficult, but now we are proud parents of two successful and settled young men. Being active with your children and encouraging them to excel in whatever they chose to do is also a great part of that success. They still visit and we still welcome them at all times, with their spouses, friends, etc. We were not able to buy them expensive cars but we certainly did and still do help financially as long as we can see the results of the gifts. After all, they are our children and will always be our children, from their birth (in our case -from adoption as babies) to death (hopefully ours), and we still consider it our responsibilty for what they now do as adults. So far we have only been proud. In my opinion, people should not have children if they cannot look after them or provide a healthy home environment.
  51. ryan jensen from hamilton, Canada writes: Holding the parents accountable is acceptable within reason. Should a parent have to serve jail time because their murderous young offender prodigy finally got caught? Which parent? Does the parent serve adult time? Does the kid serve any time?

    Perhaps billing the parent for the cost of incarceration? Now that I've thought of it, I sort of like that idea. That way both players suffer punitive actions.

    Handing mom and dad a bill for damages and then closing the door? I bet the kid will be beaten out of anger instead of punished out of love.

    The power one holds over another through fear is nothing compared to the power one holds over another through respect.
  52. Ray Crawford from Toronto, Canada writes: According to the current series now running in the Toronto Star, these young 13 year-old mutts are ' victims'. I'm not making this up. For the past 3 days, the leftwing Star has been hand wringing over the number of people now in jails and prisons not only in Canada but the States. If somebody commits a robbery, rape or guncrime, the fault lies with society, according to the Star. Should anybody have a sense of personal responsibility? No, no, no. It's all the fault of the system that drives people over the edge. By the way, this paper strongly endorses the liberals under Stephan Dion. Need I say more?
  53. Maurice Caissy-Cyr from Canada writes: Parent responsability, kids and parents should be send to Guatanamo
  54. Brad Reddekopp from Hazelton, British Columbia, Canada writes: That's actually pretty impressive work for just two thirteen-year-olds.
  55. Yves Farges from Canada writes: Make the teens do community work until the damages are paid. If they do not do the work, juvenile detention or limited house arrest, no internet, no facebook, etc, etc. They are stupid teens and need to learn, albeit the hard way.
  56. Ed Long from Canada writes: One article on kids' high cholesterol and crappy diets.

    One article on kids doing lots of damage at 1:30 in the morning.

    What are we raising?
  57. The Moondog from Canada, Canada writes: No one has pointed out what a low minor crime rate there is in Singapore...
  58. steve allan from Welland, Ontario, Canada writes: This stuff is becoming more and more common. Two weeks ago the Orlando, Florida police force had dozens of its cars vanadalized in a similar manner.

    I say you catch the punks and make their parents pay for the damage!
  59. Life Is Good from Canada writes: Cane them, taze them.
    When did Canadians become such heartless pricks?
    Comments here are getting as retarded as the people that submit them.
  60. Steven Koning from Bloomfield, ON, Canada writes: When children read about their parents' plans to devastate the western economy in order to benefit easterners why wouldn't they think it's fun to wreck some police cars?
  61. D. Armstrong from London, Canada writes: These kids are 13. They've been brats for a long time, and they know that their parents, their teachers, the community, and the police will do nothing of consequence to them. They have a free ride in what has become a very permissive society. As young offenders, nothing of consequence will happen to them. They may go through the system, perhaps be incarcerated, and learn nothing. Someone needs to jerk their chain.

    Caning is immediate, painful, and saves the cost of incarceration. Cane them, and let them go with the proviso that next time they do something like this, the penalty will double.

    Society needs the carrot and the stick. We've taken away the stick and we should bring it back.

    Canada has become a carrot-based society, and that doesn't just doesn't work for everyone.
  62. Norm Albert from Canada writes: Making the parents pay is like to ejecting them from school for a few days. No school is that reward or punishment. Make the Parent pay.
    Okay I get P**sed at my parents for not picking up my dirty laundry or having to be in by midnight. Let me think now....how do I get back at them? I know wreck a cruiser or two! Parents then must take corrective action. Right! and those corrective actions are?
    The problem originates at birth. Parenting is a full time job.
    Bottom line is there are far too many distractions getting in the way of good parenting. First and formost is earning a living to pay for those trashed cruisers.
  63. Albin Forone from Canada writes: My first impulse was to give the kids a weekly soapwater bucket, chamois, toothbrush, Q-tips (TM) and Armor-all (TM) and sentence the pair to detail every car weekly until they reach age 18; on review I have to agree with B A above: the kids would be skilled body shop workers, fully rehabilitated and ready to contribute to society, by the time they finish.
  64. Peter Bud from Canada writes: Way to go boys!
  65. J. Bergin from Canada writes: Peter Bud from Canada writes: Way to go boys!

    You're an idiot.
  66. Prairie Boy from Canada writes: I think France lost close to 300 vehicles on Bastille Day. Maybe it's an art form?
  67. Harbinger from Out West from Canada writes: Make sure the law doesn't tell us the names of these brats. Anonymity has it's perks.
  68. Tracy Bracy from somewhere in canada, Canada writes: um this is embarrassing. 21 police cars: tires slashed, windows and mirrors smashed, wipers broken, probably scratches, and only $5 - $10,000 worth of damage? Shame...
  69. Anthony B from Maritimes, Canada writes: R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: "...do you really think that bending them over the hoods of the cars with bare butts and whipping them with windshield wipers would really make any difference?"

    Damn right it would! Obviously, taking the "poor, misunderstood children - it must be society's fault" approach isn't working. If we're going to get tough on crime, let's start with the criminal's formative years.
  70. too old from Canada writes: With some kids you can reason and do some correcting and with others you are wasting your time.

    I have a couple of friends (two different couples) one has 4 kids and the other 3. All the kids were raised in the same way but while the majority turned out great two of them have been in constant trouble and the parents are going nuts trying to decided what to do with them.

    All the counselling, intervention etc. have had no impact.

    One size does not fit all. Sure you could hit the parents with the cost but they are at wits end trying to figure what to do.

    It would appear that both of these kids are headed to the prison system and there appears to be very little anybody can do the other kids in the families are doing well.
  71. too old from Canada writes: Years ago I had the oportunity of talking to a fellow who had spent a great deal of time in the prison system (inside looking out).

    He told me that the only thing that the crooks really care about is their image, pride and dignity. Yes dignity, as they have a different idea of it. The toughest and meanest is held in the highest esteem.

    He told me that if he were given the option of dealing with bad kids, his solution was to embarass them in front of their peer group.

    He said that paddling their bare butts in public was one way of getting their attention and they would do almost anything to avoid that. Hurt their pride and you really get to them. Seems nuts but that was from a hardened criminal.
  72. Rubbish Binny from Canada writes: Public humiliation is the best form of motivation. Why make the parents pay? The laws and do-gooders will still prevent them from doing anything to the kids as punishment. Why are 13 year olds out at 1:30 AM? Sorry, but not all people live the white picket fence and respect your elders and the law lifestyle. Nobidy can be as perfect as some of the posters on this thread. How is caning a primitive act? I got caned in school, and it made me a better person. It's not the caning that hurts, it's the caning when your parents find out you got caned, and then the shower that night. Humiliate them, make them clean and repair all kinds of stuff. Have them do a childs version of community service. The sad thing is, thanks to all the do-gooders in this country, these kids will recieve no pinishement at all. Funny, in some countries a 13 year old is a man with responsibilities, but in Canada they are victims. Never perps, always victims.
  73. Pamphleteer . from Canada writes: Teens today are by and large lousy brats. they have no manners or good sense, no class and are terribly inarticulate, boorish and incredibly self-centred. I'm only in my 20s and it seems that much has changed -- for the worse -- since i was their age. Everything's a damn joke to these scoundrels. Rural Quebec is a particularly potent breeding ground for these lowlifes. Lowest common denominator rules the day in those parts...
  74. D M from Toronto, Canada writes: Most people in our society don't respect others - just look at these boards. If we want them to respect we need to
    a) Model it.
    b) Expect it from them.
    c) Let those who don't respect others live with the consequences. That means paying damages, etc.

    Everyone believes that they are entitled to respect. Very few give it.
  75. Mike Gallagher from Canada writes: I would not want to be the poor parents!!!!!!! $5 to $10 K total? There must have been very little damage done on most cars or the QP uses a bunch of pre owned clunkers.. LOL
  76. Rubbish Binny from Canada writes: Paying for damages doesn't do squat. All that does is teach kids that they can buy their way out of trouble. A good beating, inflicting pain that prevents them from sitting for a while will get more of a result. Look at previous generatios. They used to beat kids all the time and they never had the issues we have today. There was respect of law, of elders and of property. Throwing around a dolar value to be paid does nothing. A good thrashing does more.
  77. Jesu Pifco from Canada writes: Da Youth are the the Canary In The Coal Mine.
    The Now Generation became the Me Generation and begat the F*** You Generation. Not all youth belong, but there's a trend that western societies might want to keep a heads-up on. Britain, with a post-war history of youth violence, might be the mine to watch.
  78. boris moris from vancouver, Canada writes: sidney g...I know that, if properly handled, a session or two of being "scared straight" works wonders. My problem with those that want to inflict more punishment through the system is that they don't usually know just how rotten the system is and how many pass a point of no return in their decision making re: "do I want to be branded as a criminal for the rest of my life", while inside a juvie hall. I don't think that is a successful model to perpetuate with every child acting out. A reasoned approach starts with finding out what made the child/brat behave that way and then see if their life path can be altered. Best way seems to be a rigorous outdoor wilderness experience based on relying on yourself and your team mates. I feel for those who are the angry and violated victims of youth crime. Nothing I can say would do anything to lessen the outrage you suffered. I'm just as sure that locking a child up in the kind of prisons we provide for them will, on average, turn them into even more determined criminals. The only upside is if they become less eratic and explosive and more focused on the successful execution of the crime instead. What those tykes in Quebec need is a hot mug of wine and an hour or two with a mature working girl who'll gently tell them to grow up. .
  79. Purple Koolaid from Ottawa, Canada writes: The province, the cops, and the authorities should charge the kids with vandalism and send the bill to the parents. Let the parents deal with the kids. Let the kids deal with the sentences. Nothing to be emotional about here.
  80. harry carnie from Northern, B.C., Canada writes:
    At least no one was killed or injured.

    As long as the public accepts this(no one called the police) Why worry about it?

    The taxpayer(in Quebec) can pick up the tab as
    usual.

    Juveniles (and adults in some cases)are allowed to kill or seriously injure innocent men ,women, and children..without having to be held responsible...
    a few "cop cars"? Who cares.

    Turn them(teens) over to Boris Morris ..be interesting who survives.
  81. Randy Farrell from Canada writes: Neil B from Edmonton: Oh sure this kind of behaviour could only happen in Quebec. All those Alberta kids are little darlings.

    Your political prejudices are showing.
  82. boris moris from vancouver, Canada writes: actually, Harry from northern bc, towns across Canada might start thinking about vandalizing federal property as local business and labour will collect public works cheques....."Slow Local Economy Stimulated in a Shower of Tax Dollars"...the headlines of the local Hicksville Herald will trumpet.

    and:What better strategy than to train local call girls to mentor juvenile delinquents? More government cheques and a sense of giving something more back to the community...more than Just the satisfaction of bringing things to their conclusion within the alotted time frame.
  83. Politeness man from Canada writes: You can kick punch and scream all you want.
    Without a bulldozer you cannot do much damage to a Ford Crown Victoria.
  84. harry carnie from Northern, B.C., Canada writes: Boris Morris........right on!...most realistic strategy yet.

    (pity..tho.. I am TOO OLD to take part in the program)
  85. A reader from Canada writes: Moris Boris bleeding hearts like you get to me. If your car was damaged by these youngsters would you feel the same way? My tax dollars have to pay for the damage and I pay way too much in municipal, provincial and federal taxes as it is.
  86. Carl Baldin from Canada writes: We need "work Camps" in the Arctic for these punks. One month up there - Tey'd never do this again. But we have too many bleeding heart Liberals in Canada who say we can rehabilitate these punks.....make them learn the hard way!
  87. A reader from Canada writes: From the comments of some of the posters, it appears some have still a long way to go before they mature into men and ladies. Too many want to act out in real life the games they play with their toys.
  88. jan bakker from Canada writes: !3 year old punks trash 21 police cars? speaks volumes about their upbringing and parent/s. 21 lashes to the bare butt for each, and work till every penny paid back for costs will turn the direction they're heeded for now. Since most likely that won.t happen due to the bleeding heart justice system we have, make the parent/s pay for the damages, and watch how fast their lax parenting skills would improve.
  89. Andrei Popov from NYC, United States writes:
    easy solution... the parents should pay for the damage.
  90. Simon Simon from Vancouver, Canada writes: Trashing 21 cruisers? Priceless!
  91. A reader from Canada writes: Simon Simon grow up!!!!
  92. J M from Realityville, Canada writes: There is nothing that can be done for these kids now they're lost causes. They'll get away with this but its only the beginning. Let's focus on helping those kids tha can be helped and even if only a few end up as productive citizens then we've made a difference. Focussing on these little animals isn't worth the time or effort and just serves to feed their egos.
  93. Paul F. from AB, Canada writes: Awwww ain' t that sweet?

    Behold the failure of modern age 'parenting'.
  94. Mark Orr from toronto, Canada writes: what does it say about the police in that neighbourhood when kids act with such disrepect. From the lack of witnesses to incidents like this, policing in Canada is clearly in crisis.
  95. George BrownIII from Christmas Island writes: Just a prank that got out of hand. And if the police cant watch over their vehicles god save the rest of us!
  96. bitcch buggar from Canada writes: I remember being 13 growing up in the big city. I remember what DICKS the cops were to us way back then. I can just imagine how much worse they have gotten since then with all their new fangled tazers.
    Simple solution is to make the cops pay out of their own pockets for any damage done to public property (their precious police cruisers) then maybe they'd take better care to keep the cars out of reach of the vandals.
  97. Mark Orr from toronto, Canada writes: what does it say about the police in that neighbourhood when kids act with such disrepect. From the lack of witnesses to incidents like this, policing in Canada is clearly in crisis.
  98. Glenn Powers from Vancouver, Canada writes: All this talk about "kids these days."
    Kids, like adults, smoke less, drink less, use fewer drugs, and commit fewer crimes than they did in the 1980s and 1990s. See, for example, http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/070718/d070718b.htm for information on crime trends, including youth crime.

    I don't think anybody can say whether the increasing cultural taboo against corporal punishment is responsible for this decline in youth crime, but the evidence certainly contractics the notion that the lack of good beatings causes this type of behaviour.
  99. David Gibson from Canada writes: They thought they would have a go a authority, and they got caught. I suggest a light public lashing, then part-time jobs with 90% going to pay off the damage. If they own iPods, cell phones, computers, etc., seize and sell them, and put the funds against the damage. No way should taxpayers get stuck paying for the punks' entertainment.
  100. harry carnie from Northern, B.C., Canada writes: Incidents , such as this will continue..until the BASIC CAUSES are addressed.
    Denmark is fairly successful in some areas(Google it)
    of straightening out youngsters.

    This will NOT happen here..or in the U.S. Because it requires INTELLIGENCE in the politicians(and the voters who vote for them)
  101. Michael Sharp from Victoria, Canada writes:

    When we were kids we nuked a city once.

    Man, was there hell to pay!
  102. Charles Smith from United Kingdom writes: Simple way to discipline the kids - force the children's guardians to pay for the damage - then not doubt, the guardians will take care of the discipline.
  103. Rollo T from Belgium writes: Really? who ever trusted you with so much as a wet noodle?

    We threw snowballs at cop cars. And school buses. Day after day.
  104. boris moris from vancouver, Canada writes: If we were really serious about punishing them we would force them to get married. GD...I can't believe how cruel that sounds.
  105. Jen Smith from Canada writes: Same crap happened when we were kids, except kids weren't going to vandalize cop cars, they'd jut slash the tires as they went down the street, or bust mirrors off.

    99% of the 13-year-old crowd was likely at hope sleeping or playing video games, two punk kids rough up some police cars, and now all teenagers are disrespectful, lazy, no-good and unaccountable.
    What's with the generalizations?

  106. Mike G from Toronto, Canada writes: Archie 1954 from Vancouver, Canada writes: "My wife and I have two boys who are now 25 and 23 but who never did any of the egregious things you see and hear of kids doing when they grow up. Why is that? We live in a very wealthy neighbourhood but we ourselves are not wealthy. Both of us spent a great deal of our time with our sons. My wife attended t