Many an exasperated parent has told their misbehaving child to be good or the police will put them in prison.
許多父母惱怒時(shí)都曾這樣警告調(diào)皮的孩子——要聽話，不然會(huì)被警察抓進(jìn)監(jiān)獄。

But now one police force has issued a poster urging adults not to use this common – if ever so slightly cruel – threat.
現(xiàn)在英國一家警署發(fā)布海報(bào)，敦促父母不要再使用這種有點(diǎn)殘忍的威脅。

Instead Durham Constabulary wants children to be friendly with officers and go to them with their problems rather than be fearful of them.
相反，杜倫警署希望孩子們能對(duì)警察抱有友好的態(tài)度，有問題時(shí)向警察尋求幫助而不是害怕他們。

The campaign reads: ‘Parents. Please don’t tell your children that we will take them off to jail if they are bad. We want them to run to us if they are scared, not be scared of us. Thank You.’
宣傳語寫道：“父母們，請(qǐng)不要告訴你們的孩子，如果他們犯了錯(cuò)就會(huì)被我們抓進(jìn)監(jiān)獄。我們希望當(dāng)他們害怕的時(shí)候能跑向我們尋求幫助，而不是害怕我們。謝謝。”

However, the poster received mixed reviews online after it was posted on Facebook. Jeff Rowse said: ‘Telling them they will go to jail if they are bad is wrong how? Surely that is the major reason for having a police force? And jails?’
但這幅海報(bào)被傳上臉譜網(wǎng)后引發(fā)了網(wǎng)民的爭議。杰夫·羅斯說：“告訴孩子如果他們做錯(cuò)事就會(huì)進(jìn)監(jiān)獄，這哪里錯(cuò)了？這難道不是設(shè)置警察機(jī)構(gòu)和監(jiān)獄的主要理由嗎？

Paul Parry was more supportive, writing: ‘Telling a three-year-old that if he doesn’t eat his dinner the policeman will come and take him to jail isn’t true and will only serve to instil fear into that child.’
保羅·帕里則更支持海報(bào)的說法，他寫道：“對(duì)一個(gè)三歲的小孩說，如果他不吃飯警察就會(huì)把他抓進(jìn)監(jiān)獄。這樣做是錯(cuò)誤的，只會(huì)讓孩子更害怕。”

But he added: ‘The police shouldn’t be used to reinforce bad parenting.’
他補(bǔ)充道：“警察不應(yīng)該成為不當(dāng)教養(yǎng)的道具。”

The unnamed traffic policeman who features in the poster said: ‘I am flattered by the attention it has received but at the heart of this is a very important message.
拍攝海報(bào)的無名交警說：“因?yàn)檫@則海報(bào)我受到了很多關(guān)注，受寵若驚，但關(guān)鍵的還是海報(bào)傳達(dá)的信息。”

‘Children should be taught from an early age that if they feel like are in danger and they need help they can approach an officer who will reassure them. '
“在孩子小時(shí)候就應(yīng)教導(dǎo)他們，有困難找警察。”

'I would hate to think that parents are telling their kids that we will take them to jail if they are naughty ... we’re not that scary.’
“我很討厭父母告訴他們的孩子如果調(diào)皮就會(huì)被警察抓進(jìn)監(jiān)獄……我們沒那么可怕。”

Vocabulary

exasperated 惱怒的

（英文來源：每日電訊報(bào) 譯者：梁玉嫦SCNU 編輯：彭娜）