‘Armed’ cowboy kid subdued by police
Police pursued and overpowered a boy armed with a toy weapon, it has been revealed.Monika Pinterits, head of the Viennese childrens and teenagers attorneyship, said yesterday (Weds) police officers followed the nine-year-old after spotting him marching on a sidewalk, wearing a cowboy hat and carrying what turned out to be a plastic toy rifle. After catching up with the boy who was accompanied by his sister the policemen twisted his arm and briefly detained him before identifying the weapon as a plastic toy.The incident is just one of a list of controversial occurrences the organisation of Pinterits dealt with last year. The psychologist, who said Viennese police apologised to the kid and his parents, presented the attorneyships 2010 report yesterday.Pinterits also called for a reform of standards and regulations considering sexual abuse of minors as nine of 10 hearings of cases affecting children aged seven and younger end as inconclusive.