He is doubtless dis-advantaged, comes from a challenging background (have we heard that before somewhere!).

Doubtless the fruits of his burglary bought him a weekend of booze and drugs. After all it's only fair that things that took me six months to earn should be redistributed for at the most £100 by species we did not think existed in Stamford. Sadly they do !

If you are reading this then you are unlikely to be this cancerous growth on society, but it is your son or grandson – and you know it or at least suspect it.

You may not like to inform the police but you know and you'll have to live with it. Can you? Do you want to live in a town where people suspect your son or grandson is burgling houses?

Mr and Mrs Smith (for want of a better name) know their son or grandson is doing this and he may spend some time in jail. But they will forever be shunned by previous friends and neighbours – a life sentence of being shunned because they protected scum.

Do we want Stamford to become like inner London or Birmingham or Nottingham etc? We are seeing ever increasing levels of scum on our streets and they all belong to someone.

Maybe if the families were to approach the police, they may get away with a small sentence and support.

No one is born bad. Being bad is easy, easier than working for a living, but parents and grandparents cannot turn a blind eye.

There are so many good youngsters living in Stamford, we are lucky. But there are some now that are beneath contempt.

I don't believe our town has to sink to the levels seen in other parts of the UK.

But its down to parents, but it seems that many parents these days are sadly lacking in the ability to bring their kids up in a way that they or society can be proud of.

Rog Parkinson
Roxburgh Road,
Stamford