Friday’s violence and vandalism by teenagers came as something of a surprise. It was out of the blue and there had been no signs teenagers were planning to go on the rampage in three towns, firing flares, starting fires and causing damage to property. And all this disgraceful behaviour was supposedly to mark what the children referred to as ‘all cops are bastards day’, probably something thought up on social media.

The fire service had to respond to 67 calls after the underage hooligans had set fire to bins, car tyres, trees and Christmas decorations. Police, at whom the troublemakers threw stones and Molotov cocktails and fired flares when they tried to restore order, arrested 23 troublemakers, 21 of whom were underaged.

The worst incidents took place in Larnaca, where 10 were detained, starting in an area surrounding a school and spreading to other neighbourhoods. In the Kolossi-Ypsonas area of Limassol district, youths tried to damage police vehicles which had arrived at the scene of the unrest.

According to police, the ages of the suspects detained ranged from 12 to 17. The Larnaca district court issued two-day remand orders for eight teenagers. In Nicosia five minors were charged, while four were to be called to a police station at a later date and in Limassol three minors who were detained were released and will be called to give statements later; a 27-year-old who was allegedly involved in the trouble was remanded in custody. It was unclear why there were different approaches by the police in each district. In Larnaca youths had remand orders issued against them. In Nicosia some were charged while in Limassol they were released and be called to give statements or be charged later.

President Nikos Christodoulos condemned the violence and suggested that parents had a large responsibility for what happened. “As parents we have responsibility for our children,” he said. “We are talking about children aged 13, 14, 15. Each and every one of us has to take our responsibilities, because what we saw was particularly concerning.”

Nobody could disagree with the president’s view. Parents are indeed responsible for the behaviour of their children. Why for instance do they allow 13-, 14- and 14-year-olds to be out on the streets at night? Is this part of the child-centred upbringing that places no boundaries for children and allows them to do as they please?

The surge in violent and anti-social behaviour by youths should concern all of us. It was only a few weeks ago that gangs of youths in Limassol were attacking delivery drivers, beating them up and stealing their money. Then there is the football hooliganism on which the authorities have been trying unsuccessfully to clamp down; there are also teachers regularly complaining about the anti-social behaviour at schools.

What are the reasons for this surge in youth delinquency which did not exist 10 years ago? In fact Cypriot youths were, generally speaking, pretty well-behaved and respectful. What has caused them to change? Is it social media, lack of any discipline at home and at school, the absence of any form of punishment? The authorities must look into this worrying anti-social behaviour and find effective ways of dealing with it before it veers out of control.