THIS afternoon (23/05/06) I had a most unpleasant experience in a York

playground. I had arranged to meet my partner and her two girls aged six and three to enjoy an hour with the children.

When I arrived there was a gang of four "Vicky Pollards", complete with

baby in pushchair, swearing, damaging the swings and generally typifying the lawless teenagers that plague our streets today.

My partner said that when she politely asked them to get off the swings so that her children could play on them she was told to "**** off" by the ringleader.

Not wanting to get into a scene, I informed the gang that I would call the police if they did not leave.

These girls clearly knew the score, because being informed that officers would be there soon, they continued to taunt me and hurl abuse. When the gang left of its own accord a full 30 minutes later there was still no sign of the police.

I wonder how long it would have taken the police to respond to an unpaid parking fine or some other major crime? Perhaps a dawn raid might be the order of the day?

To cap it all, I came home and decided I would call the police to complain. Not possible, I'm afraid! Email or letter is the only way to complain about poor service.

Society is in such a mess that the yobs run the streets and the police simply do nothing. What these young thugs need is a clip round the ear or a spell in borstal.

They act the way they do because the

"do-gooders" have created a culture where the scum are untouchable as parents and teachers have all disciplinary power taken from them.

Steve Bradley,

Shannon House,

Margaret Street, York.

Updated: 09:31 Thursday, May 25, 2006