Harassed by kids in street

A body cam is on all the time, this means no faffing around getting the phone out, unlocking it and getting to the camera app. Just thinking that if upset you could be shaking & drop the camera or the little shits could swipe it out of your hands.

From the official source

"Only call 999 in an emergency where there is a danger to life, or a crime in progress
When to call 101
You should call 101 when it is less urgent than 999 but you need to report crime or disorder."

I would say the OP was victim of a crime in progress.

Please don't call 999.

Anti-social behaviour is more the territory of the Conservatives, and if they would convincingly firm up about it, and about women's rights in general, I would consider voting for them next time, though I never have before.

Fwiw, I recently had a man approach me when I was walking my dog late at night. I instinctively said 'Excuse me' and turned away as if needing to attend to my dog. This was non-confrontational, and he walked away. Of course another man might not have done, but I thought my response worked well this time.

There are regular posts on my local Facebook page where people have taken photos of videos in this and other situations. Sometimes they're posted, sometimes the person says they're taking the evidence to the police or schools for identification. So I think you're fine doing that. But ideally have a wrist strap on your phone and use it, so that they can't grab it if you.

I intervened on behalf of my two gc's a few years back. They had been to the shop and on the way back two lads around 12 started swerving bikes at them, spitting at them, then slapping them as they passed. I went out and received horrible abuse. I tried to find out the house they came from and when they saw I wasn't giving up they attacked me and pushed me to the ground. Fortunately someone passed by in a van and stopped. They actually wanted to put them in the van and give them a slapping! I said that was absolutely not necessary. The lads told me they knew where my family lived and their aunt would be round to beat me up. I told them I looked forward to her visit which never happened.

I rang the Police who seemed disinterested and said how on earth would they know who they were. Given the area, I said they certainly would and to speak to the local community worker. They got them straightaway. One admitted, one denied. They got Community Resolution whatever that is. Please don't be alone in that area if you can help it. I know how infuriating it is to have to avoid areas you enjoy but safety first.

Don't let them stop you from taking your usual walk, OP. I think your response in the moment was absolutely right - you stayed calm (on the surface), basically ignored them and kept walking. That would be no fun for them, and I assume they soon pissed off to find another target. I would maintain that strategy, but add in calling the police if they don't leave you alone. I would report it every time it happened (hopefully it won't happen again). Try to get a good look at the kids and what they're wearing - they are likely known to local police already, but maybe not. They are 12 so should be in school and if you can find out what school, you can report them there also.

Stay calm, look like it's not bothering you or you think it's silly behaviour. If they absolutely won't leave you alone, run away if possible towards a populated area or somewhere you know there's CCTV and/or other people, and call the police. Stop another person and tell them what's happening, ask them to call the police. If you can't run away, call the police if you can. They will likely mock and jeer but probably back off/run away at that point. Last resort after calling the police is shouting and screaming loudly for help - "help I'm being attacked". That's an escalation and therefore a last resort, but will probably see them off.

Remember, they are children and although threatening and dangerous in a group, half of them are probably only there because they fear being left out or bullied if they don't go along with it, and the only half are only doing it because it impresses the weaker ones. So if you have to escalate, then calling the police/making clear the illegal and violent nature of their behaviour may be enough to stop them.

And finally, if you're in a position to, get a dog! A dog will make it look like you have protection, even if it's a soft one.

One was riding his bicycle at me heals, calling me bitch and demanding money.
I was scared and enraged at the same time. My instinct was to grab and shove.
Illegal? Don't care. Police are going to do nothing about it anyway, as said here already.

I had a look at this. Unfortunately the activation button doesn't look protected, so could easily be set off accidentally (like so many rape alarms ime - super embarrassing). They look elegant, but are quite expensive.

Just be alert - keep your phone ready in your pocket, maybe make your walk shorter thanusual, especially if you’re feeling anxious. And enjoy the autumn.

Walking around me in a group, asking to see my phone, what my name was, how old I was. Probably just messing around, but I can say that now, with distance. At the time I felt vulnerable, and when I looked back and they were coming onto the bridge, yeah, didn't feel right, heading to a pretty lonely lane and all.

They might take it off you. Similarly don’t try to hit them with a stick, they might grab it and hit you with it. Standing up to a bunch of kids in any way could turn dangerous very quickly.

A body camera is probably your best option. Would you need a special vest/ jacket so that they couldn’t snatch the camera?

Haven't read the whole thread yet, but am thankful for this reminder about self-defence. I am getting this farb gel. I like that it has a hole for attachment to a lanyard. As a dog walker, I need to keep my hands as free as possible. I also keep a strong torch in my pocket, for dazzle purposes.

Call 999 in the moment as you were genuinely fearful and felt at immediate risk of harm.

If you’ve been going there for years, the chances are you won’t see them again, but if you do, please Don’t film, don’t throw things, et cetera that only escalates.

Similar happened to me about 15 years ago, but they were a bit older. I had a baby in a pushchair too. Yeah I was scared. My route took me over a road bridge and then a sharp turn into a short but winding and usually deserted lane. They followed at a short distance over the bridge, so I picked up my pace and as soon as I turned into the lane and was out of their sight I bloody legged it as fast as I could, pushchair pelting along. Baby was surprised but had a great time 😄

I can laugh now, but I was scared at the time. You know when your spider senses just go off and you feel something isn't right.

Children. Shorthand on MN. He didn't just film adults with children present, he filmed groups of children who were engaging in antisocial behaviour and shouting abuse at him.

Which led to false accusations of him being a paedophile. Which contributed to his murder. The Police also massively contributed by telling him to stop filming as they felt he was inflaming the situation; but not dealing with his harassment and abuse and some Police were sacked following.

DC?

What little cunts.

You can get a baseball cap with a built in camera on it for about £15 on Amazon. Those kids don’t sound like they’d tolerate a mobile phone filming them by someone they have targeted as vulnerable enough to bully. That could potentially not end well.
Any footage of a repeat performance I’d upload publically on local platforms and ask for identification. Viral in no time at all and the awareness, humiliation, shame and hopefully wrath of the parents will be all theirs.
Old enough to know what they’re doing is wrong and old enough to deal with the consequences.
Maybe someone with a mobile phone can follow you discreetly and film them if they do it again. They probably already have themselves on camera harassing you to laugh at later on.

The Police very likely already know of them, you're unlikely to be the only person experiencing this.

I wouldn't film.

A man in Bristol was murdered a few years ago with racism being the driver but him filming DC abusing him and engaging in ASB on his 'phone led to accusations on social media of him being a paedophile which led to his murder.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Bijan_Ebrahimi#:~:text=James%20had%20falsely%20accused%20Ebrahimi,and%20setting%20fire%20to%20it.

Just report it to the Police.