Low level street nuisance – complain or MTFU?

There’s a lad aged 14 who lives with his Mum up the road and is very gobby. Neighbours’ kids who go to his school say he is always in trouble. He definitely has a big “attitude” and swaggers around with his hoodie up, followed by a pal aged about 13, much smaller, who goes to the same school, is also often in trouble but lives about 10 miles away and is often in the street. They often hang around with a gang of about a dozen admirers of a similar age and I’ve had words with them in the past after they started bothering my son aged 15, banging on the front door then running away. That behaviour has stopped but now they are in the habit of gathering outside a neighbour’s house 30 yards from our door and playing loud rap music on a portable ghetto blaster thingy, loud enough that we can hear it in the house. I can’t believe the family who live where they congregate actually put up with it but their own son is part of the group.

Having been forced to move house by problem neighbours we are very concerned about antisocial behaviour and it’s getting on my nerves, with a horrible feeling of “here we go again”. I don’t want to go out and have words with them again because two of the gang are immediate neighbours’ kids and I don’t want the ringleaders to victimise my son, especially on Friday evenings when he and some of the group are up at Youth Club.

So… a quiet word with the local beat officer, a quiet chat with the parents or just MTFU?

So… a quiet word with the local beat officer, a quiet chat with the parents or just MTFU?

You have a local beat officer?

Crikey.

I’m pretty sure that having a word with them, or the kids parents will have little effect sadly…

Go to the police.

This being STW however, I am obviously incorrect and you should enjoy this spectacle of youths celebrating independence from their parents.

Just tell the IRA he’s dealing drugs and they’ll knee cap the wee c*** for you*

*assuming you live in Northern Ireland. if not just ignore that.

Legend has it that some hoods and some baseball bats, will solve the problem. Not sure legends are strictly accurate.

When I was growing up in Abercarn there was a kid in Newbridge that had a fearsome reputation, he was always having a go at a mate. Died at the age of 23 through living rough and heroin, in hindsight all the signs were there, pretty sad really.

If it’s anything like the prison films I have seen, just walk up to the biggest lad in the group and punch him as hard as you can in the throat.

got any grinding or chainsawing to do ….

next time it starts up – get on it – make your own noise.

they will soon move on.

I remember watching a documentary on how to deal with young tearaways, and miscreant scallywags…..

Who’s the daddy?

I had a similar situation.

Go to the police. Warnings can be given to to Jnr & his parents and after a couple of those on record you are well within your rights to phone 999 and have him arrested. That of course doesn’t bode well for him or parents and should stop the behaviour at that point.

If it doesn’t, make the call.

Remember, the fact that he’s technically a child means that any intimidating, abusive, physical behaviour by you will land you in more trouble that him.

Report and go down the official route

However it seems unlikely this will sort it in the short run as the parents dont care.

Be grateful it is a number of houses away form you and not outside your house and that your son is not being targetted. it is not great but it could be worse.

+

Wee in his shoes when he’s down.

What, ask a magic 8-ball how to deal with local scallys..?
“The answer is YES, for sure..”

Then given his a christmas gift of warming socks?

I like your style…

DrP

The top of that sock looks like a liquorice allsort.

Ball sock him ?

I won’t embed it, because it contains violence and sweary words, but..

Scum – Carlin takes control

Look up the Mosquito Anti-Loitering system, supposed to be pretty effective.

Why not just walk up to him and chat to him, he isnt a mass murderer yet, Start with Hello etc, and see where it goes.

Lots of times pased disruptive kids and always said hello or thanks if they move off the path etc, and usually get a responce of thanks back, or nice bike etc etc.

Why not just walk up to him and chat to him

I do love real world advice on here.

Did you miss this bit: I’ve had words with them in the past after they started bothering my son aged 15, banging on the front door then running away

So now the OP can make fwiends with him?

What project says has worked for a me a couple of times, quite suprising how outwardly intimadating groups can be reasonable once you get chatting.
That said its probably a has some risks and on balance now I would probably just call the police and do it sooner rather than later, theres no need to accept low level anti social behaviour and doing so is a slippery slope.

Why not just walk up to him and chat to him

I do love real world advice on here.

You could always try, “by the way, how’s your dad doing? I’ve not seen him for a few days.”

You could always try, “by the way, how’s your dad doing? I’ve not seen him for a few days.”

[stereotyping] 😆 [/stereotyping]

“Look up the Mosquito Anti-Loitering system, supposed to be pretty effective.”

yep its happily annoying the residents of crown street in aberdeen…..they are up in arms about it – even if it is stopping the loitering …..

If you see or know the PCSO in your area have a word.
If you don’t, contact the police on 101 non-emergency number.

They will appreciate a heads up as these things are easier to nip in the bud early on than a year down the line when the gang has settled in.

They will have a word but in reality it is a Sect. 5 public order offence so it is an arrestable offence if they don’t take the coppers advice.

Just a thought but if they are playing rap music loudly can I assume they be explicit lyrics being played?
If so this actually makes the offence worse. Nuisance behaviour is one thing but language that can cause offence or distress is something the police will take more seriously, especially if there are children / families that can hear it.

I’m afraid I lost my rag with them during the summer after the third door banging incident and I chased the whole group up the road, to where I ended up banging on the lad’s door although his Mum was out. He reappeared and protested loudly that he always got blamed for everything and when I questioned him and his little pal it turned out that the pal was the door banger, and he was fairly contrite especially when I told them in no uncertain terms that if it happened again I would involve the Police. I was visibly angry but didn’t swear or threaten, insult or touch them beyond the Police threat. I know both their names, what school they attend and where the older boy lives. I don’t know why the smaller boy, who lives far away, is so often in the street.

So you can see why I don’t particularly relish going out for another discussion with them. It’s doing my head in and I feel I’m on the point of cracking; general marital and life stress are not making this any easier. My wife and son seem oblivious and after what we went through ten years ago with bad neighbours I don’t want her to know this is winding me up.

quite suprising how outwardly intimadating groups can be reasonable once you get chatting.

Works on here where , despite the brusque nature, deep down we are actually polite and respectful of each other….. any thread / most of projects posts will show this

if they cant hear their music they will get fed up 😉

playing loud rap music on a portable ghetto blaster thingy

There’s only one language these kids understand, and that’s the language of the streets..
You need to step up to the plate and spit some sik bars mate

Nothing sounds that bad so far.
I’m with project.
‘Having words with them’ isn’t the same as engaging with them.

Of course, it might not be suitable advise, but this is the internet and I’ve only got a few words to go on.

Edit: That flight of the concordes vid up there is fantastic!

Why not just walk up to him and chat to him, he isnt a mass murderer yet, Start with Hello etc, and see where it goes.
Lots of times pased disruptive kids and always said hello or thanks if they move off the path etc, and usually get a responce of thanks back, or nice bike etc etc.

Why not read the OP, yer damn hippy.

It’s doing my head in and I feel I’m on the point of cracking; general marital and life stress are not making this any easier. My wife and son seem oblivious…

This is quite a telling sentence. Maybe coming at this from a different angle, if things like this are causing you distress/ill health then maybe it’s worth chatting to your doctor about how you deal with these kind of stresses. Not belittling the problem or suggesting that it’s not an issue but it’s obviously having a detrimental effect on you. There is no stigma in looking after your own well-being.

after what we went through ten years ago with bad neighbours I don’t want her to know this is winding me up.

I feel your pain having moved out of my last house in large part to noisy/nuisance neighbours, but this^^ won’t help anyone. Of course they will be ‘oblivious’ to your problems if you don’t talk about them, they’ve got their own stuff going on, maybe she’s thinking the same but doesn’t want to say anything to you? Talk to her, let her help.

Report to police

Iirc, there’s lots of internal police statistics and performance management bollocks that says more than X reports of anti social behaviour in an area makes it a neighbourhood policing priority, so if you and a couple of neighbours all complain possible to game the system to get something actually done about it.

Conduct a bombing and airstrike campaign

a major and i mean major leaflet bombing campaign ?

a major and i mean major leaflet bombing campaign ?

Sounds extreme but you should hit it hard and hit it fast.

I trust you’ve started an online petition already? That tends to fix most of the worlds problems

They hang around outside the same house?
buy some weed or coke, drop it over the wall near where they hang out. call the cops anonymously and advise of drugs being dealt on street.
wait.

Why not read the OP, yer damn hippy.

STW innit. “It doesn’t effect me, but I can tell the OP it’s not really a problem.”

If they’re doing nothing clearly criminal then ignore them. Save your energy for when one of them becomes the drug dealer or descends into some other crime.

I’ve been observing my son’s “mates” since infants’ school. Most of them are great kids. Most will get through their teen years fine too. Make sure the tiny minority that won’t aren’t in a position to influence your son. So far so good but expect sparks to fly at home if ever you judge the situation dodgy enough to intervene. Madame was not too happy with my tactics for a while but is now firmly on-side and relative peace has returned to the household.

Think through how everyone is going to react and only act if you’re convinced the overall outcome will be positive.