YOUNG people who end up living at the YMCA in Worcester are often vulnerable and need support, but that doesn't mean they should be allowed to run amok and put the staff there at risk.

Sadly, that seems to be what's been happening at the YMCA in Henwick Road, and you can understand why staff are blowing the whistle and highlighting the problems there.

When trying to rehabilitate troubled young people, a delicate balance between encouragement and discipline is needed – they need to feel safe and supported but also discouraged from behaviour which harms others. To put it bluntly, there needs to be an element of fear of authority.

It would appear that some of the YMCA residents have no fear of authority, whether that's the staff who are there to look after them or the law.

Young people who run around with knives and attack their peers, or any victim, should face the full force of the law to deter them from offending again, which means criminal prosecution, but they should also be educated to understand the damage they have caused.