manslaughter in the death of five-month-old Saed Young has set an important legal precedent.

The conviction -- which is to be appealed -- means that a person whose inaction allows someone to be killed is as culpable as the person who committed the act.

In this case, which involved an infant who could do nothing to defend himself, this is good law and a brave decision by the jury.

Other people who stand by and do nothing are now on warning; they could face charges for their negligence, especially when a life is at stake.

There may be other instances where a charge is brought where the evidence is less clear-cut. For example, a car passenger who fails to stop a driver from causing an accident could be accused of negligence, but a very high standard of proof would be needed.

In the case of Sharina Tuzo, the jury declared itself satisfied that her inaction contributed to baby Saed's death. That is an important standard and an important precedent.

This community has seen the lives of too many children lost as a result of abuse and negligence. This jury has said that it must stop.

Now, Tuzo and her boyfriend, Jermaine Pearman, who the evidence in this case showed, actually inflicted the blows, will be sentenced, pending the appeal.

If the conviction is upheld, they deserve the stiffest possible penalty under the law for this brutal and unfeeling crime against a child whose life was so brutally cut short.

PUBLIC SERVICE EDT Public service Some of the ideas for the reform of the civil service outlined by Premier Jennifer Smith on Monday deserve support.

While the public has not yet seen the draft report, some of the ideas, such as the employment of outside experts in the civil service and the secondment of senior civil servants to the private sector, are well worth considering.

There will be questions over whether "outsiders'' can bring the same level of impartiality to Government posts that full-time civil servants should, but cross-fertilisation of this kind should benefit the community.

Seconding executives from the private sector could help to improve efficiency and to find ways to ensure Government gets revenue for the services it provides. And having senior civil servants working in the private sector might enable them to find more creative and innovative ways to keep spending in check when they return to the public sector.

More joint ventures like the Y2K project also make sense; private sector expertise can be drafted to assist Government on short- term projects where a full-time civil servant is unnecessary.

None of this means that all civil servants fail to deliver service or see themselves purely as cash dispensers. Many civil servants work harder than their private sector opposite numbers for less money because they are committed to public service.

But every institution can benefit from new ideas and new thinking. The 1990s has seen a revolution in the way companies are managed and in how staff and customers are treated. In the regulated -- rightly -- public sector, these ideas sometimes take longer to take hold and there is no harm and much good in forcing the pace of development along if it means that services to the public are delivered more efficiently and the public's money is saved.