I don’t blame teen hoon

Man who apprehended 15-year-old Corio crash driver says ...

THE Clifton Springs man who apprehended a 15-year-old in a dramatic citizen’s arrest at Corio recently blames society for the actions of young criminals.

The 64-year-old, who did not wish to be named, had his car rammed by an allegedly stolen car, with a teen at the wheel, while on his way to work one morning.

The man, who saw the teen crash the car a short distance away, joined another witness in holding the offender until police arrived.

“I was rather angry when I grabbed the young bloke because he had just done some damage to a car that I had not had very long,” he said.

“I was annoyed and angry until I saw how young he was and I thought what chance does he have in life if he is doing this sort of thing now?”

The victim said that by failing to offer employment opportunities to high school dropouts, society was creating a university culture that ostracised those who didn’t perform well in a traditional education setting.

“I don’t blame the youth for his actions, I blame us, society,” he said. “We don’t have the employment opportunities to offer these young people when they leave school. A lot of them must feel lost and absolutely hopeless. They probably can’t see a future for themselves so they resort to crime.”

The father of three believes unemployment is the first link in the vicious crime cycle.

“When I finished school I could have walked into any form of employment that I wanted to pursue. If I thought that I had made a mistake I could have chosen another career path and followed it the very next day. This opportunity is not available to our youth today,” he said.

“Then they probably see people that have items that they desire and know they’re never going to get so I’m tip- ping that they lose hope and fall off the wagon.”

The Clifton Springs resident believes the Government needs to establish an employment scheme to help curb the youth crime crisis sooner rather than later.

“The younger you can get these kids the better . . . you may be able to persuade them to change their direction,” he said.