Police came in for heavy criticism yesterday from a Magistrate after a boy walked away from court after being committed to a juvenile home for a year.

Although caught a short distance away by an officer summoned from the main Magistrates' Court building, the boy had walked away from his mother who told Magistrate Carlisle Greaves: "He just walked away. I couldn't control him.'' Violating his probation earned the 15-year-old boy the committal. His original offence is not known.

But Mr. Greaves, reading from a probation officer's report, said the boy had tested positive for cannabis and alcohol in October and had failed to attend counselling. The boy had also been using profanity in school, had been suspended, and was not going to graduate.

Mr. Greaves gave him a lecture on how to address people, being properly dressed -- telling him to knot his school tie properly and tuck in his pants.

The exercise took four minutes of intense observation by Mr. Greaves.

"Yes, what?'' Mr. Greaves said after being answered with "yeah''. "Yes, sir. You don't even spend enough time in school to know to say yes, sir.

"You can't even stand up straight. Is that how they taught you to wear your tie? Knot it up to the neck,'' he added. "That's a school uniform, tie your tie and show some respect for your school.

"Wear it with pride! In the days of old they would have put some lashes on you. I don't know what they're doing with children now. When I was going to school we used to get milk at ten o'clock. Now you're getting marijuana.'' After being told "I don't know what I want to be'' Mr. Greaves said: "You've got a face and a body like a boxer! A big strong boy.

"You look like Sonny Liston,'' he continued. "Why don't you take out some of those frustrations in the ring. We're going to have to confine you to a more secure place. You've squandered your opportunities.'' And once the sentence had been passed, Mr. Greaves, said: "How many men do they have at that Observatory Cottage (now renamed to Oleander Cottage).

"They need some big strong men up there. Somebody to make you run at the crack of dawn. Some serious men.'' Without looking up Mr. Greaves ordered the boy to be "taken away'' and minutes later his mother knocked and then said he had stormed away.

Pausing and taking a deep breath, Mr. Greaves said: "Despite all the complaints to the Commissioner we don't have a security officer. When Police were short that was the excuse.

"Now he's reporting to the newspaper that he's up to strength,'' he continued. "We remand people into custody and they walk away. Nonsense! That's how serious we are taken down here.

"My clerk has to call the station to get them to track somebody down. Let them know they've got to find an escaped prisoner.''