By Eric King-
Under aged teenagers who smoke in the Uk are soon to be arrested by police under considerations being made by police by Birmingham police.
Smoking is currently illegal in the Uk for individuals under 18, but numerous teenagers below that age continue to smoke cigarettes and damage their health. A good number of under aged teenagers also smoke cannabis . At the moment, police rarely take action against under aged smokers, making them comfortable to dig an early grave for themselves from a young age. In a policy plan that could eventually spread across Great Britain, under aged smokers caught smoking will be arrested and cautioned for breaking the law.
Cops will seek to inquire how they purchased the cigarettes, and hold any adults that may have assisted their cause legally responsible. Most young teenagers who smoke do so as a result of peer pressure and also as a mechanism to address boredom. Most of these children often skip classes or don’t do well at school. The new proposals are being discussed between some members of The Eye Of Media.Com’s thinktank team and highly ranked officers in Birmingham Police.The aim is to make young teenagers appreciate the dangers of smoking, and realise that just because they see adults smoking does not make it a desirable or healthy practise. Put plainly, smoking is a filthy habit that is bad for the health. Most adults who smoke wish they had never started in the first place.
British police are overstretched and understaffed at the moment, making the proposal to arrest under age smokers an extra burden for them to shoulder. However, officers will be selective in their judgement, and will sometimes give warnings to certain individuals before arresting them, depending on how much cigarettes were found on them . Offenders found with a packet of cigarettes on them will be considered as a full offender, and will be arrested under the new proposals. Parents of offending teenagers will also be quizzed under the police scheme. Cautions may be a preferred option in some cases, but the move will send the message to children, their parents, and society, that smoking is not acceptable for under aged teenagers in Britain.
Society as a whole will be expected to jointly unite in our opposition against smoking for under-aged children because of its obvious health dangers and the fact that early smoking for children is usually the first steps towards a wider life of rebellion against society and the law of the land. There are obviously individuals who started smoking as under-aged teenagers but who became successful adults down the line.They may also have never contracted any cancerous illness or any other type. They mustn’t be used as the standard expected measure of how under aged smokers will turn out, since many different influences play a role in long term outcomes.
Although plans for the clamp down on under aged children is in its infant stages, it is expected to take off by the end of the year in Birmingham and could spread across the Uk.
”A spokesperson for Birmingham Police said: Smoking is illegal to persons under the age of 18, and individuals below that age are breaking the law if they smoke. It is also illegal for any adult to assist an under aged individual in purchasing cigarettes, and offenders could be prosecuted in a court of law. The police force always have to prioritise our engagements so at the moment consider under aged smoking amongst young teenagers as the least of our priorities. However, there might come a time in the near future where strong action will be taken against young offenders who break this aspect of the law. At the moment under aged individuals caught smoking will have the cigarettes seized from their possession, although it is within our powers even now to take further action if we see fit”.