Kids constantly knocking on door!!

I know exactly what you're going through. My back garden backs onto a carpark. Kids play football in the carpark and use my back fence as a goal. As well as the ball constantly being kicked against my fence, it then gets kicked over multiple times in an evening. I have asked nicely for them to stop using my fence as a goal but of course they say yes but all they want is their ball back. This has now escalated into cherry knocking on my front door every day and today a ball was kicked against the door. My door is literally on the foot path, so they can bang the door and be gone before i even reach the door. I have always been polite and given the ball back. I'm not sure where these children live and I don't want anymore of a backlash. I know some will say its harmless fun but it has such an impact on the person trying to mind their own business and live their life. I am trying to ignore this behaviour hoping they will get bored but with the school holidays just beginjng , I'm dreading the next 5 weeks. Unfortunately looking into it there's not alot that can be done.

Keep a notepad and pen by the door, as soon as you see them approaching and walking up your steps, flung open the door with notepad and pen in hand and say you want their addresses so if they knock on your door again you will send the police to speak to their parents and their school as you have recordings of them on your doorbell camera. That should be enough to make them scatter and not do it again.

If they get mouthy, tell them you’ll put a picture of them from your doorbell on the community Facebook page to ask people to identify them.

That should scare them off. If not, contact 101 and ask them to send a PCSO as this is anti social behaviour, has escalated to multiple times a day, you are aware a parent is watching them do it and you don’t feel safe in your own home.

Maybe try a cctv sticker first. They may not have realised you have the doorbell/cameras.

eg https://amzn.to/43zsRiu

If you have a ring cameea already report it let the police talk to their parents, their kids are unsupervised unruly and causing nuisancr

Get a ring door camera,

I had similar with kids playing on our property in our old house and generally being noisy nuisances. I used to go out and tell them to go away. They mostly did. 2 or 3 occasions i knocked on parents doors and they were mostly fairly apologetic.

I don’t understand. They do act as deterrents and are used to collate evidence. You can check who is at the door before you answer. Others have suggested the same. I’m not sure what point you are making

She said in her opening post that she has a Ring doorbell and she has cameras.

We have the motion alerts set up on our Ring doorbell. It pinged one evening, so I opened the app to see about 5 kids, (12 ish?) about to ring the bell….so I opened the microphone and yelled BUGGER OFF! It worked, and they’ve not been back.

OP, you have to either scare them off or talk to the parent(s). You can’t just put up with it.

I think that the point was that the OP & others have said multiple times that she has a ring doorbell & cameras

I don’t understand. They do act as deterrents and are used to collate evidence. You can check who is at the door before you answer. Others have suggested the same. I’m not sure what point you are making

Sorry OP neighbour problems are so so difficult. I've had a couple and its not as easy as "just go and talk to them". Its very difficult.

You can set motion detection alerts on your ring so you get notified when -well -motion is detected at the front door.

You can set this to alert on alexa too. (And In fact this is how caught burglars trying to steal my car at 3am!- pretty terrifying)

I would then go out and tell them firmly (with the ring in live so its recording) "please stop knocking on my door, please go back home now. Bye. "

Record how often its happening, kids involved. Its ASB its spoiling the quiet enjoyment of your own home. If this doest work then call the police and ask them to call round to discuss. The sight of a police car will have an impact.

They are doing it to other people OP. We've had the same problem. It turns out they've been scaring an elderly lady as well as plaguing the rest of the estate. They nearly crapped themselves when I said I had photos. It stopped for a bit but now cover their heads and do it. My neighbour is apocalyptic over it. Council and everything.

Print the photos off and knock on the door. Tell them if it doesn't stop you'll be asking a policeman to have a word as they're doing it to other people as well and everyone has had enough.

I did but not constantly and the same door. This is antisocial behaviour. I would contact the parents and council first though

Where I live (SE London) this game is called "Knock Down Ginger" and the fun is summoning someone to the door and running off before they open it, leaving them peering up and down the street.
I finally cured a local child of this by going to the door on the first knock, not opening the door, putting it on the latch so it could be opened really quickly and easily, then waiting.
Sure enough, she couldn't resist a second try, at which point the door opened far faster than she anticipated, and I stepped forward and asked her what she wanted.
She gazed in saucer-eyed horror, as I asked again, in the tone of one baffled by pointless and irrational behaviour, why she knocked if she didn't want anything?
She scuttled off into the block of flats opposite, and after that had trouble catching my eye on the street, no longer the anonymous japester.
I don't have a ring doorbell (yet) but a spyhole lens is cheap and easy to install.

You cannot be serious!

She still has a ring doorbell

Perhaps a Ring doorbell will act as a deterrent or allow you to compile evidence to support talking to the mother/ police. It will also allow you to see if someone is legitimately at your door.

Recording of a dog barking somehow linked to the ring doorbell/knocking ought to do it

The comment about declaring police involvement if you sell the house isn't true, OP.

If you have a ring doorbell answer through that and loudly say stop knocking on this door! I can see you and if you don't stop I'm calling the police. If parents are around hopefully they will hear and act. If not ring the non emergency number and get someone round

If you know some police officers personally, ask them to call to your door and go outside pointing at their general direction.

Bring them in forca cup of tea.

You can be sure your neighbours will notice their presence.

Stand by the door and open fast when they approach then shout at them.

Put marmite on your door knocker.

Sit out of sight in your garden and yell when they approach.

Print out pictures of them doing it and make funny masks out of them that you put up in your windows or hang in your bushes.

So much fun to be had. Or yes, I'd talk to the parents. If you approach it with a 'I know it doesn't seem that bad, but' attitude then I can't imagine they'd get that worked up about it.

If you have a front garden gate, that might deter them too as harder to get in and out.

Sorry about your husband.

Could try speaking to the children and tell them the truth. Be nice say hi i really wanted to speak to you and ask a favour. Tell them you're on your own and why and and when they ring you get stressed and scared and please could they stop. You're sure they understand that it's mean. They may well stop. Most kids are pretty fair minded.

I cant believe some people are justifying this.

It's bloody annoying and makes you jump when it's repeated times in a night

No it's not okay just because you were a pita as a kid 🙄

@Annaishere police complaint? Seriously? Did you never play 'knock down ginger' as a kid? No idea why it was called that.
Take the battery out of your door bell and ignore them. Tell any friends or family to message you when they're at the door. If they're knocking, rather than ringing your doorbell, open the door and tell them to go away and tell them you're going to speak to their parents.