Teach Children Parenting Skills, Urges Police Chief

Parenting classes should be given to schoolchildren as part of a drive to rid Scotland of its violent reputation, says one of Scotland’s most senior police officers. Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, the head of the national Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), said too many children are being brought up without the life skills needed to make the right choices.

“It seems to me that if we are educating children about sex then we should be telling them about being a parent, particularly about bringing up children in the early years,” he said.

He spoke out as the VRU launched a leaflet to be given to 400,000 children outlining ways for parents to help to reduce the risk of violence in a child’s life.

Mr Carnochan said greater investment in health visitors, social workers and teachers, as well as more police officers, would cut violent crime more effectively than increased policing alone. “We are quite good at locking people up, but…all we have managed to do is keep a lid on it.”