Fort Simpson (Oct 24/03) - Fort Simpson village council has decided to enforce an existing curfew bylaw after a councillor complained of vandalism at Thomas Simpson school.

The curfew prohibits children under 16 from being in public places past 11 p.m. without a parent or adult guardian.

Parents of children who violate the bylaw can be fined $25 to $100 and could spend up to 30 days in jail.

Councillor Betty Hardisty said there are too many kids roaming around late at night and it's resulting in vandalism at the high school.

"And whatever happens on the weekend, it leads into the school during weekdays and it's really affecting the behaviour of the students," said Hardisty, who is also council's representative on the district education authority (DEA).

But RCMP Sgt. Brian Winters said the amount of property crime in Fort Simpson is overstated.

"I do the stats up every month and if we've got one break and enter in town, we've got a problem," he said.

Mayor Tom Wilson basically concurred. He said he doesn't know if the problem is any worse now than in the past.

"I don't know of any community that never has any vandalism. It just seems to be the nature of some people," Wilson said.

He added that youths picked up after curfew and taken to homes with no parent or guardian present should be turned over to social services.

The bylaw officer will be working some night shifts to monitor the situation and the village has requested further assistance from the RCMP, Wilson noted.

Winters said the police won't make specific patrols in search of youths violating curfew but will redirect wayward adolescents if they notice them. He added that cooperation from parents is crucial.

Communities with a designated "night watchman" have had more success combatting vandalism and break-ins, Winters noted.

Such an employee checks on public property, sends kids home and alerts the RCMP to anything suspicious.

Whether the curfew proves effective or not, Wilson said he's confident the cold weather will deter youths from wandering the streets for too much longer.