Oh yes, indeed I have.
Attended meetings various -including meeting with the Police (several times) Councillors (several times) Local youth workers (several times) - the only people I haven't ever had the opportunity of meeting with have been the parents of the little darlings who are out of control.
And no, I don't live on a sink estate, despite how it may appear. The problem is that I live opposite a big wooded park area (I go running through the park, it's well cared for to be fair) but of course, it is a magnet for all the not rights to use for drinking, fighting etc. I accept that a park will attract children, and up to a certain time, I've no issue with that. However, when it comes to having kids pissing about outside the house at all hours of the night and morning, that is when I get mad. I work for a living, I run a charity in my spare time, I've got MS (fortunately it is only mild at the moment, but I do need proper sleep) so I'm not some lazy arse scrote who can lay in bed all day watching Jeremy Kyle and catching up on my sleep - It may seem to some that I am some kind of habitual complainer and I'm not, I've better things to do with my time - but when faced with this constant problem of gangs of kids outside the house, the noise they make, the disturbance, the vandalism (don't forget we've have windows broken, cars done in, burgled etc) it just gets too much and I don't see why I should put up with it.
So there we are, to answer all my critics, I believe I have done all I can to try and make a difference and if for one moment anyone thinks I would run for local council they're mentally backward. Nope, not for me. I'd ruffle too many feathers and end up even more angry than I am now!
Well, you've certainly answered my point from your last post. All of that adds up to a high level of stress and i can understand your despair.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that you renew your efforts with the local safer neighbourhoods team from GMP. Couple this with whoever is the rabble rouser on the local council (there'll be one). The police and the council have a lawful requirement to tackle anti social behaviour. If they're ignoring you take it higher.
It seems that although your blog is unhappy with the police, your problem lies elsewhere. Most of what you describe are things that the council should be targetting the causes of, instead of the police targetting the symptoms.
I wish you all the best with this.
You are exactly the sort of person the police (I am one) should be working for and dealing with your "quality of life issues" as the latest BS phrase would have it. Try and invoke the Orwellian Policing Pledge and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteWhy not join your local 'Neighbourhood Action Panel' and get the problem made a priority. You would be guaranteed an attendance within the hour of reporting. Speak to your local Neigbourhood Policing Team- you will be able to contact them via your local force's website. The Policing Fudge gurantees you call back within 24 hours.
Tragically we are tied up dealing with the Waynes and Waynettas of this world and shocking levels of paperwork. And we love locking the chavs up, trouble is the courts enjoy releasing them. The police cells are just another part of the welfare/ benefits system these losers 'live' on paid for by you and me.
I wish you luck wading through the nonesense we work with every day to get some satisfaction.
Are none of your neighbours affected? Many voices and all that.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, some of the neighbours are elderly, so I'd not expect them to pull their jeans on at 4am in order to go outside and knock a few heads together, I think they close their windows, use the rooms towards the back of the houses and deal with it that way. Mind you, I still think I'm 21 in my head but if I remember the days when just the sight of a police officer would make me go cold in case I'd done something wrong, and the long hot summer of 76, I guess I'm not that young after all!
ReplyDeleteBut the neighbourhood action panel sounds interesting - I guess this has been therapeutic for me after all - this all started when a police inspector was as rude as fuck to me because I dared to question something one of his officers had said to me. I mean, far be it from me to have a brain and suggest that a criminal offence may just have taken place right outside my house and the two young girls who'd attended just may have missed the point (simply because they didn't know how bad it can get around here).
I spoke to him nicely (I can be polite...at times) and explained the rationale behind what I'd said and he listened until I'd finished and then said "I take great exception to what you are saying about my officers" Not, "I'm so sorry you are having problems and that you've felt the need to contact me, let me see what I can do" Well, I just blew at him and I got myself in such a rage that I decided, bollocks to it, if that is indicative of the attitude of one of the senior officers, then I've not a cat in fucking hell's chance of getting anything sorted out around here. So, in my blind bloody temper, I decided to smash this keyboard to bits every time I felt the need to, but you know what, I've actually seen a glimpse of light in some of the comments I've seen.
There's always more than one way to skin a cat.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like, deep down, you might be quite concerned for some of these kids.
In these post baby P days forces are very sensitive to how they deal with children. It's amazing the lengths they'll go to to track down a child that may be in jeopardy.
Once such a concern is logged it's very difficult to write it off without some positive action.
I am a police officer. There are many things we could do. The public order act allows us to arrest for behaviour that causes harrasment, alarm or distress. We do it daily against people who let slip one too many "fucks" in our presence. We could arrest for drunk and disorderly. We could take children who are out at 3am and drunk into police protection.
ReplyDeleteThis would need input from you (which I'm sure you would happily give) in the way of descriptions, statements, court appearances etc.
I can't comment about policing in your area. Things are done differently from force to force. Staffing levels, single patrolling, specialist units, paperwork. It all differs from area to area. But if you can identify offenders and say you are happy to pursue charges, I believe things should be getting done.
In response to the last 2 comments on here - yes, sometimes I do feel anxious for some of the kids - for example the girl in the park who seemed so drunk she couldn't get her words out and I did call the police, not because I was pissed off at having been woken up, but I was genuinely concerned that she had been attacked, but I have to say, there are times when I would quite happily kill the lot of them!
ReplyDeleteI guess I look at how I brought my two up, how my parents brought me up and I wonder where the hell it went adrift. Last night for example, my lad plays football and referees also, so he's quite well known amongst footballing kids/adults. He was off the pitch and one of his mates was having handbags with another lad - suddenly he sees a scrap break out and his pal is getting punched and kicked. My lad ran across to break them up, he ends up having his head punched in and tonight fainted after a gym session - (imagine me, his 5ft 4 mum, trying to hold up her 6ft 2 son) Now his pal has a broken nose and some horrible facial bruising etc - he just wants to forget it and won't report it. Why is that do you think? Is it because he himself knows that once the police get hold of the lad who attacked him (GBH or ABH???) not much will happen, and certainly if it ever saw the inside of a court room, there'd be no proper sentence given. Is that where things have changed? Because if I'd behaved like that as a kid, I'd have been so afraid of what my dad would have done to me, let alone the police - as a society have we gotten to the point where the law is simply disregarded and we each do our own thing?
I hear what you say about arresting someone for too many "fucks" in the same sentence (Christ, you'd have fun with me!!) and drunk and disorderly etc, and I've watched stuff on TV when you guys have done just that and I find that astonishing. If someone told me to fuck off at work I'd simply ignore it or say it back - I guess if a drunk is out of control and becoming violent then fair enough, but surely if say, I'd had a couple of glasses of wine (and I'm not a drinker so that's all it would take!) and told you to take a good fuck to yourself, would you seriously arrest me? All that paperwork, taking me to the nick, etc, etc - just for the "f" word??
And as for taking kids home at 3am who are pissed up etc, oh please! If that is correct that you are actually allowed to do that, then I'd seriously question the police in my area, because there've been times when I've asked them over and over, why don't they get these kids and get em home, and I'm told they can't put them in the cars. Fuck it, they can put them in my car, I'll get dressed and drive you myself!
Anyway, you know what, I'm actually glad I started this because I have learned a few things and I will begin the neighbourhood action stuff, I am going to email an officer who is a lovely guy and even though he is out of my area now, he keeps in touch to check how things are going, which is sweet of him.
Look at this, I started off being a complete bitch and now I'm calling you sweet! Now fuck off. ;)
I'd give you a warning, and if you continued swearing at me I would arrest you! No one should have to put up with abusive behaviour and I'm lucky enough to have a job where I don't have to (although the courts don't agree with me and believe in sticks and stones). I think its an issue of respect. I digress...
ReplyDeleteI'm not a police driver so I'm not sure about the whole insurance issues. I know that in my force kids, where possible, are taken home in cars. But this usually applies more to missing persons. They could be taken to a police station where their parents would be called to pick them up or social services would be called but that creates a lot of work for very little result. Arresting them will always put more of a focus on thier behaviour.
I feel for your situation. Low level anti-social behaviour is a very frustrating one for the police as well as there are often no clear cut offences and it can feel like more of council issue. Unless you can give a police officer (or 999 controller) a clear description of a suspect and evidence of offensive things they have done or said to distress you there is little more a reponse officer can do than to 'move groups along'.
I'd be interested to hear from colleagues who have ideas / successes in dealing with such problems.