My soon to be 17 year old son was mugged along with a friend at 3.15pm yesterday on the quiet residential street we live in Twickenham. No violence, just 3 similar age kids threatening it to get some cash.

He and two friends were also surrounded by roughly 25 older lads in Oxford Circus at Christmas who wanted their jackets, money and phones – this only stopped when a security guard came out of a nearby shop.

Two years ago a van pulled up next to him and a friend. Two lads out, asked them a question and then started to hit them.

I’ve reported all these incidents to the police but unfortunately to result as of yet.

Now my son is street aware, is a 2nd Dan karate black belt, lifts weights, is not lippy and doesn’t flaunt his possessions.

Is he just incredibly unlucky or is there a real shift in street crime?

Is he just incredibly unlucky or is there a real shift in street crime?

Similarish series of events happened to me when I was a teenager back in the 90s

Yip… It has always been thus. It just went on without the media’s constant ‘we’re all going to hell in a handcart’ hysterical narrative

At least theres probably more point to it nowadays. 16 year olds have more stuff. You might get yourself a new iphone that worth how much?… so the incentive is certainly there? If you’d have mugged me when I was 16, you’d probably be disappointed with the half empty ten pack of B & H that your criminal activity yielded. It still happened though. Just as a precursor to violence, mainly

As above,we didn’t have £900 phones in our pockets and things like this still happened,pretty obvious it will increase nowadays.

As per Boardinbob, similarish events happened to me in the 90s.

Looking back I feel like I got away lightly as a rule. Fleet of foot and all that.

The van thing is familiar, a friend was walking from one pub to another in Banbury town centre when a van pulled up and the occupants gave him a kicking then left. That would be about 1996 at a wild guess.

Happy to say, my son’s never experienced anything like it (he does go round with some big lads though), but yeah, I did, back in the 70s. One particular time I remember, 2 older lads from a rival school would’ve pounded me if I hadn’t escaped on my skateboard 😀

The main difference is back when I was that age in NE Lancs you could be pretty certain no-one was going to pull a knife.

I’ve reported all these incidents to the police but unfortunately to result as of yet.

The police were never involved… the community handled things like this hence why knives were not an issue.

Must’ve led a sheltered life in Coventry in the ‘80’s 😳 Never happened to me and I’d be very concerned if it happened to my lad, now 16. Plenty of post pub scraps, but never been simply accosted with menaces…

As above – happened to me in the 90’s when I was a teenager. Mugged twice in a relatively small timeframe. Once at knife point. Think they got all of £3 and a half empty packet of B&H. I had to walk the seven miles or so home from town and that was the bit that stung the most for teenaged me. Both times in the less gentle parts of Huddersfield.

Btw did he give them any cash?! And hope he’s OK..

I got mugged for a set of these back in 1990. Hurt as much as losing an iPhone!

Just heard this morning that my nephew got detained in RVI Newcastle with a fractured skull last night after going to the aid of a mate ( trying to cool things down ) after an altercation outside a nightclub in Newcastle ..he’s 6’4 and a non violent decent kid ..
Bastards !
I’ve real fears for my 17 year old son ..also a tall boy @ 6’2″ ..when he starts clubbing ..
Do they just see a big lad and want to prove a point ?

I got mugged in Manchester for a Wedding Present album and a brand new pair of Samba, still in the box.
Right outside Collyhurst police station.

At least they had taste.

A 14 year was mugged in Waterfoot, Rossendale a couple if days ago, van and car blocked him in and stole his Lapierre. Not exactly downtown Harpurhey.

Which bit of Twickenham? I’m about to walk into town and don’t fancy having to fight anybody…

My younger brother was mugged at a cash machine about 15 years ago. He was withdrawing cash for a night out and turned from the machine to be confronted by two scrotes who demanded he hand over the cash or he would get a proper kicking.

“Ok then, lets go” replied the younger ( and considerably more bonkers ) Panther brother.

This proved to be a fundamental error of judgement on the part of the brigands who ended up in the cells after receiving a leathering before being dragged a hundred yards to the police station by the scruff of their necks.

A, let’s call him volatile, old friend of mine was accosted in a car park in Halifax late at night many moons ago. He had long hair, bell bottoms, the whole stoner rock thing going on. Had his boot open and two scrotes tried to mug him. Didn’t end well for them.

He came to my house ranting and adrenalised, pacing about my kitchen. Few cuts and bruises about his face. When I eventually calmed him down he told me that two guys had tried to mug him and he’d set about them with the tyre iron from his boot.

He finished by taking me to his car, opening the boot and saying “it’ll make them think twice about mugging anyone else” he’d managed to steal their trainers after beating them. It was a snowy night. To this day it still makes me chuckle (and scared me) that in that situation he was actually calm enough to have the thought of this as a punishment.

Must’ve led a sheltered life in Coventry in the ‘80’s 😳 Never happened to me and I’d be very concerned if it happened to my lad, now 16. Plenty of post pub scraps, but never been simply accosted with menaces…

I think that is the main difference… we had a fair few scraps and the odd menaces that then turned into a scrap but there were “acceptable limits”.

About 12 years ago in London I had some young guy literally ask me for a smoke … I said ***-off and he just went straight at me with a knife -no other conversation or anything. That would (almost) never have happened in NE Lancs in the late ’80’s…

Which bit of Twickenham?

Also interested in this as a Twix resident with 2 young kids.

Horrible. I also worry for the future and as the gap between the haves and have nots increases ,I fear the “gang” outlet becomes a more attractive option than a rubbish government funded apprenticeships that pay sod all…
That and they can get away with it because there aren’t enough polis to keep up with major crime let alone mugging a burglary & don’t get me started on car jumping red lightS!
I got battered by 6 massive body builders once . They didn’t even mug me.
My face was a proper mess.
Hope your son is ok.

Looking back I feel like I got away lightly as a rule. Fleet of foot and all that.

+1. I genuinely believe I’ve only lived this long because I could do a standing 40 yards faster than anyone else I’ve ever met. As a wise karate teacher once said, “best defence, no be there.”

A mate and I got mugged in Leicester (147 snooker club) when I was about 13 or something, 1989 ish. They had knives and took my Track suit and my mates trainers. fortunately it was nice weather so the walk to his uncles house wasn’t too bad in my T-shirt and boxers!!

About a year later, in Beaumont Leys where I grew up, two kids threatened to beat me up if I didn’t give them money, and started to push me around. I was on my own and going over the shop for my mum. I had a £20 note in my pocket and I though “**** that you’re not getting my mums money” we were pretty skint back then. My mum called the police and he shook my hand after I told him they’d ran away crying after I gave both of them a bit of hiding.

I really hope this never happens to my son though. Although a few bigger kids at school have already been pretty horrible to him, he’s in yr 7.

Although a few bigger kids at school have already been pretty horrible to him

I really worry for my boy being born 31st August and as a rule we are a small family.

Sorry to hear that what a world we live in, I have always told my kids if anyone trys to mug you give them what they want we can always replace anything you have.

One of the reasons I left the UK 7 years ago…. There seems to be an underlying tension everywhere. No where else in the world have I thought I might step into a violent situation at any moment for no particular reason….I’ve had my fair share of run ins with chavs and general English dick#+ads. England is not a place I wanted to raise kids, so I left to move to a place where crime is virtually non existent.

I met a long term traveller back when I was dicking around Asia 20 years ago, a seasoned backpacker who seemed to not have a bad bone in his body. He said England was the most dangerous place he’d ever been to. Lost a few teeth and learnt to keep his head down and mouth shut….

I’ve used this instructional video to teach my children the most  important self defence technique if they ever find themselves in that situation…

Hi all – thanks for your msgs. He’s fine, in fact far less stressed than I am about it all.

Didn’t realise there are so many Twickenhamites on here (we should do a ride!) – it was on Cole Park Road, just north of the station.

I hope the nephew with the fracture skull makes a very rapid recovery. I’m very sorry to hear about his injury.

Yes, it maybe a size thing. My son is very broad and strong (can bench lift me no problem).

I got mugged for a set of these back in 1990. Hurt as much as losing an iPhone!

I’ve got a couple of sets of those in a box somewhere. Send me an iPhone, I’ll send you set.

Sorry about this…from a part time kingston resident…i cycle alot around the area and never see anything like this. I once left my brompton outside a shop, surbiton high st, anyway, someone followed me in and said that will get nicked. So now I always fold it and take it inside to shops and cafes.

I actually feel really safe in the area, tbh i only have a 2g phone in UK so would expect the would be thief to just laugh at me. I am observant though so if I see something I don’t like i just stop and let it pass.

‘re the central London incident I have heard of gangs surrounding targets, it happens in seconds usually around tube exits where people are looking at phones.

Also, I was on the tube last month and noticed half the commuters wore noise cancelling headphones, I can spot a Bose 700 at 10 paces as I want some. I can’t believe the thieves are not into them, someone told me they like bling not the discrete ones.

Sorry anyway, I like Twickenham and teddington and have never seen any issues there.

@Stompy

I have travelled all over the world over the last 15 years and I never feel more on edge than those first few hours back in England when getting the train from London or waiting for transport in any city.

This includes stints in South Africa, Honduras, El Salvador etc.

This includes stints in South Africa

Just depends on what you know – I’m fairly comfortable in most parts of London (that I know well enough), but Jo-burg airport gave me the hebejebies.

As did Tunis and Cairo

Beirut was lovely though.

Ok i just looked up your road and I cycled it to get to st margarets. Do u think the thieves knew it was his regular route and he would be there at that time. Just a quiet residential st.

Tbh if it happened to me I would just hand over what they wanted, just not worth the risk.

I’m sorry to hear that OP, hope he’s not too shook up.

Had a couple of unprovoked incidents even in our small town in the 80s. We had nothing to nick though, just a bit of shoving and threats.

My eldest is 17 this year, a lanky, non-physical, academic 6 footer. I expected him to be a target at secondary school, but he wasn’t; seems street smart when out with his mates, but I do worry about him. He had his first paying gig as a musician a couple of weeks ago at a theatre in a less attractive part of a less attractive town. He had the sense to wait till he knew I was by the stage door before coming out with a couple of grands worth of instruments on his back.

I got mugged in East Sheen in the mid nineties. Van pulled up. I don;t think they really wanted any money (I had none), but they punched me over a wall. More worryingly they tried to stab my mate with a screwdriver. Thankfully we were in leather biker jackets and the screwdriver was blunt.

Sorry for your son OP.

Jo-burg airport is quite nice now that it has an onsite brewery…from what I can remember

Reminded me of when I has mugged at knifepoint aged 5 for my dinner money. This was at 3:30pm in the afternoon as I was coming home from school! I often wonder what happened to that criminal mastermind.

Is he just incredibly unlucky or is there a real shift in street crime?

I never looked for trouble but had more grief than your lad in the ’80s and ’90s.

If anything, I think it’s likely to drop off as he hits 18. Mainly seems to be younger teens are victimised.

Cole Park Road

Some nice houses down there, but also not far from Ivybridge Estate.

I suspect the perpetrators were on their half term and your son is just unlucky.

Is he just incredibly unlucky or is there a real shift in street crime?

Both …

Just heard this morning that my nephew got detained in RVI Newcastle with a fractured skull last night after going to the aid of a mate ( trying to cool things down ) after an altercation outside a nightclub in Newcastle ..he’s 6’4 and a non violent decent kid ..
Bastards !
I’ve real fears for my 17 year old son ..also a tall boy @ 6’2″ ..when he starts clubbing ..
Do they just see a big lad and want to prove a point ?

Hope he recovering well. I noticed certain areas of the city centre is getting a bit more rowdy in the early hour of the morning. I used to just walk around to see the happenings when visiting friends.

I’ve used this instructional video to teach my children the most important self defence technique if they ever find themselves in that situation…

Best advice … just run like Usain Bolt to crowded area.

Reminded me of when I has mugged at knifepoint aged 5 for my dinner money. This was at 3:30pm in the afternoon as I was coming home from school! I often wonder what happened to that criminal mastermind.

A kid pulled out a lighter and held it up to my son and said give me your dinner money. Thick ****, they have thumb print recognition at their school so kids don’t carry cash. There really is no hope for some people!!