In the relentless battle against anti-social behaviour and juvenile crime on our public transport we've reported on 999 text hotlines and genuine gansters brought in to educate the kids. We've had local heroes, PCSOs, poster campaigns and overzealous bus drivers. Now, apparently, we need God.
The Ascension Trust have been deploying Street Pastors over large parts of South and North East London since 2003. Their mission "engaging with people on the streets to care, listen and dialogue" - or rather to turn miscreants away from crime and into Bible Study. Now the local police are supporting putting street pastors on the buses to help control unruly youth on routes into town.
Where other attempts have failed, can Christians conquer da kidz? Will prayer, wise counsel and the ten commandments soothe teenage souls in turmoil as they bus it into town to smoke fags, listen to unfailingly irritating gangster rap on their phones and shriek at those of us just trying to be invisible as the back seats get set fire to?
If the pastors can actually engage with troublemakers on buses, we will believe them miracle workers. We suspect, though, that putting the fear of God into them with scarily weighty Bible tomes and a handful of brimstone and hellfire might actually be more effective. But we live in hope.
Image courtesy of St Stev's Flickrstream.
