This story must be told.

My friend Joe had a lunch engagement. On reaching the restaurant, he received a telephone call. The police were on the telephone.

Joe almost panicked thinking that the children had met with an accident. The police officer on the line calmed him down, saying that nothing was wrong.

Then he asked him whether he had lost his wallet. Joe answered that he had not. The officer assured him that he had. Putting his hand to the back pocket of his trousers, Joe realised the policeman was correct.

The officer asked him to go to the police station at St Julian’s. He did so with alacrity as he was not too far away.

On entering he was faced with a group of officers. One of them asked Joe how much money he had in his wallet. Joe wracked his brains because he was not sure. He calculated he had €400. The policeman convinced him that he had €600.

Naturally, Joe asked where the police had found the wallet. The officer pointed to an 18-year-old boy. He was sitting half hidden and all forlorn, resting his face with hands on his knees. Joe praised him for his honesty.

Joe fished in the wallet and gave him a €100 bill. All the officers smiled benignly and approvingly of Joe’s gesture.

In shyness the young man refused so much money.

Joe insisted. The youth accepted and left happy that Joe was so generous.

That day, Joe wrote to the Police Commissioner praising the police officers for their sense of duty. Honesty, generosity and discipline are values still intrinsic in family upbringing.