AIBU to ask what is happening in Middlesbrough at the moment?

The fact a lot of their memorial photos are them doing gang hand gestures or in balaclavas says it all really...

Reminded me of the Mad Max film.

I wish they could! Just why do they think there community is the way it is? Why do their kids turn to a life of crime. Why was their parenting so bad? Unless they truly consider their part in it all, nothing will ever change.

I do think more needs to be done to hold parents accountable. Obviously these were older so that's irrelevant.

However, I've seen a huge rise of these balaclava clad idiots, tearing down roads on surron bikes and just generally being a menace to society. Apparently it's 'just them being kids' or 'there is nothing else for them to do'. Maybe if the parents were held accountable, they'd do more about they're little angels...

People like BackedOffHackedOff have tried hard on here to stop people expressing their disdain for this lifestyle.
If people aren’t allowed to show just how disgusted they are by the behaviour of this section of society, then the ‘fly high beautiful boys who loved their nan, lives stolen by brutal policing’ tosh will continue unabated.

That would be really rude. You may think it but only a really nasty piece of work would say it to them.

What a disgusting, ignorant comment - particularly given the context. Perhaps you and yours should join the police force and risk your safety/lives to show us how it’s done. It’s so easy to write comments on forums.

Edited to add: Many police officers live in these communities, or were raised in them, or will have had their own experiences of people close to them being victims of crime. Many of them are trying to make a difference and do the job with the best of intentions. Maybe reflect on what you think comments and attitudes like yours does to the profession and their families following the deaths of two officers just doing their job.

Only a really nasty piece of work would drive down the road the wrong way and crash into two innocent men simply doing their job.

Right, so let’s be like them then?!

If it's good enough for them 🤷🏻‍♀️ People are rightfully getting downright pissed off with these people thinking they can do what they like... you are also part of the problem, excusing their behaviour!

Apparently 200 have been transferred to the area

Money,resources being taken up where it could be put to better use if only these dense bastards could behave like normal human beings.

Quote where I excuse their behaviour

It’s very worrying. I live within quick driving distance of south bank and grangetown, have family members who live in the TS3 area and have many friends and some family working for Cleveland police. I’m constantly searching for the latest news and hoping no one I am close to is affected

these areas are not central Middlesbrough but council estates driving out towards redcar.

for the person complaining about other police forces helping out Cleveland police, I remember when my brother in law got sent to London when there were riots happening there. It’s what police forces do b

reallu hope the unrest settles soon

@YorkshireGoldie unfortunately the tit for tat these thickos indulge in can go on for some time.
You can guarantee there will be a SM war going on between the different factions.
Appreciate Cleveland police need extra support.
It's disheartening when resources are taken up because of these louts not being able to behave like normal human beings.

Hope it does settle because innocents will get caught in the crossfire of their stupidity
Which has already happened.

I saw a social media page of one of the mothers of one of the 17 year olds who died (don’t really want to say how or who), and it made me feel really sad. So many photos .. first day at school, NHS clapping during Covid, birthday parties, football tournaments, Christmas Eve and stockings. The last photo with the boy in it was about 4 years ago and he looked happy and innocent. It got me thinking how vulnerable some of these boys are as young teens, and especially if they don’t have positive role models in their lives, parents are distracted by new relationships/babies, and older boys are circling on the periphery of their lives (when you think in this case, two of the males involved were men, the other three much younger).

I have every sympathy for the policemen killed, of course, but I do feel as a society we fail young teenage boys such as these. It would take someone far cleverer than me though to come up with an answer…

What are you talking about?

I agree with you @Newyearkiss. There has been report after report stating that we are letting down working class boys. There are some very nasty people who exploit young people for their own gain. Often there is nobody and nothing to prevent or protect the young people from getting involved.

All young people should have ambition, guidance, protection.

In the meantime, the police have my full support.

No this is a short sighted take.

County lines now even deliberately target send children. And parents look the other way as they needed the money. 15 years of austerity and increasing poverty whilst the expectations of living (phones, cars etc) has increased.

Middlesbrough has the largest share of deprived neighbourhoods in the country.

County lines went bonkers after Covid. What’s clearly going on there is the result.

100%

“Resources are taken up” - this is targeting the root cause of wider crime issues.

Completely what I’d expect a police force to do.

The decent residents who will also be on the breadline and attempting to make ends meet deserve protection too. And younger kids will get sucked in to perpetuate the issues if nothing is done.

The memorial event? Cars set on fire. Sorry about the link.

What concerns me is, yes it’s a deprived area. Yes, people really are struggling and suffering. But…
These kids grow into adults with no empathy.
They are supported in their own circles.
They alleviate some of their problems by destroying the lives of other people.

And I think the celebrations and memorials are absolutely a symptom of the problem and absolutely should be recognised as one. It’s not ‘understandable’, ‘a valid way to mourn and recognise loss’. It’s a glorification of something that’s shameful.

apple.news/ACV64COm0TTKEafWCs7hsEg

Fair enough.

Yep.

and there will be certain fractures of the middle class community looking down them forgetting or ignoring the fact that their drug taking habits fuel this fire.

NOTHING excuses what these lads did or the current rivalry wars going on and the innocents being hurt.

But people are ignorant if they think banging up the perpetrators on the sole solution for this.

We need prevention - not a cure after innocent lives are lost.

agree with everything you’ve said