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Dec 29th, 2019
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Children arrested, DNA tested, interrogated and locked up... for playing in a tree [ dailymail.co.uk] To the 12-year-old friends planning to build themselves a den, the cherry tree seemed an inviting source of material.
But the afternoon adventure turned into a frightening ordeal for Sam Cannon, Amy Higgins and Katy Smith after they climbed into the 20ft tree - then found themselves hauled into a police station and locked in cells for up to two hours.
Their shoes were removed and mugshots, DNA samples and mouth swabs were taken.
Officers told the children they had been seen damaging the tree which is in a wooded area of public land near their homes.
Questioned by police, the scared friends admitted they had broken some loose branches because they had wanted to build a tree house, but said they did not realise what they had done was wrong.
Officers considered charging the children with criminal damage but eventually decided a reprimand - the equivalent of a caution for juveniles - was sufficient.
Although the reprimand does not amount to court action and the children do not have a
criminal record, their details will be kept on file for up to five years.
The parents of the children, who all live in Halesowen, West Midlands, say they are angry with police for treating their children as hardened criminals and accused officers of over-reacting.
The three, who have never been in trouble with the police before, were described as well-behaved and placid by their parents. I am speechless! 
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They look like hardened criminals to me.
When I was four or five I ran away. The police did in fact pick me up and threatened to put me behind bars. It scared me straight I'll tell you. As they repeated this threat to my parents the policeman winked and said "candy bars". My grandma whipped me, my mom whipped me, and my dad whipped me. I never ran away again.
This is cute human interest but I'm not sure it amounts to much else.
CDL
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Do they not have requirements that the children be interrogated under the supervision of council there as they do in the US? If that had happened here, a lawsuit would already be filed against the police.
They took their DNA for making a tree house? Sounds like an excuse to get DNA in the computer bank to me.
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The children should have had a parent present when being interviewed at the Police station. This is going to make the local police a laughing stock especially when they can't capture real crooks.
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All too often people forget that the police are OUR public servants, and not vice-versa. In any country we should demand a higher code of conduct from our public servants.
Unfortunately, I'm not at all surprised at this kind of police behaviour in Great Britain. In 2002, police arrested three 12 year olds (2 boys and a girl)in Northumbria and took fingerprints and DNA samples from them. There crime ? they were playing James Bond with toy guns.
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Originally posted by Pavel Ivanovich:
The children should have had a parent present when being interviewed at the Police station. This is going to make the local police a laughing stock especially when they can't capture real crooks. The comments under the article were very interesting  Agreed the kids should not have removed any branches - but I really think that the treatment was completely over the top. This is using an industrial hammer to break a egg
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They should have told the police they were building a "gay bath house." Instead of being arrested, they would have gotten medals and commendations for being so politically correct!
This is the same England that arrested a farmer for defending his property from repeated thieveries.
What did you expect --- sanity?
Brother Ed
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Brother Ed,
You rascal. :p
Maybe the police went a bit too far. I don't know. I wasn't there. But the children can chalk it up to a learning experience and move along. It seems a tempest in a teapot but I could be wrong.
CDL
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Originally posted by carson daniel lauffer:
They look like hardened criminals to me.
When I was four or five I ran away. The police did in fact pick me up and threatened to put me behind bars. It scared me straight I'll tell you. As they repeated this threat to my parents the policeman winked and said "candy bars". My grandma whipped me, my mom whipped me, and my dad whipped me. I never ran away again.
This is cute human interest but I'm not sure it amounts to much else.
CDL Dan, Unfortunately, today, your mom, dad and grandma might have been the ones put behind bars.  Alice
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Oh Carson! Liked that one, did ya???  Hehehehehehe!! You know, of course, that the best comedic material always comes from TRUTH!! Brother Ed PS Why do you Chicagoans always send us yer miserable weather? I feel like lobster, all ready for the next round of butter.
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More of the same weather is on the way.
CDL
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