If you are one of the many women who have been randomly assaulted recently by teenagers to ask you please, please report it to the police

[FestivalFringeAssaults]

• in Edinburgh specifically

you can do it using this form (although 101 is better - and 999 in an emergency, which some of these situations have been)

https://www.scotland.police.uk/secureforms/contact/

Wow, I dont know anything about this but it doesnt sound good

Interesting. What form have the assaults taken, can I ask? I’ve been very deliberately punched on the back by kids on e-bikes when going home from work on the cycle paths near warrison cemetery a few weeks back but I never though of reporting it.

Punches in the face or the back of the head, being pelted with eggs and flour, being threatened with violence, water guns in the face. Please report it every single time because the only way it stops is with a deluge of evidence that it's happening.

Absolutely off the scale now with school holidays/free bus passes/the fringe.

It would be worth adding this to scotsnet.

The schools are back now. I live here and don't know anyone who has experienced this, is it mainly an issue in the city centre?

It is all over the news and social media - how did you miss the woman who was punched in the face last week? Please don't talk this down just because you live in a bubble.

Forgot schools are back this week - so looks like we are just living with this now

Women are being assaulted on their way to do a foodshop

I’ve not seen any news re. this, OP and I am local. Any links you can post?

I've had problems off and on with local children and teenagers for the past 5 years. Generally vandalising my hedge, kicking my door and throwing things at my window and the door, and into my garden. I've had sticks thrown at me and been surrounded and touched on the back at the local railway station.. But I've never ( yet) been actually assaulted.

The police have always said don't go out and confront them because you don't want to put yourself at risk. I don't go and confront them and the incident at the local station gave me a real fright as it was the first time I'd had a problem away from my home .

I've not had problems since the beginning of June but I'm quite aware things could kick off at any time. You are very right about the reporting of every single incident. That's what I've had to do every time when the problems have restarted. The police only take things seriously if you keep reporting.

I don't live in Edinburgh but I have been following quite closely the rise in anti social behaviour in Edinburgh because my son lives there and works in the city centre. He hasn't had problems himself although one of his colleagues out for a lunch time stroll ended up being knocked over in an altercation. He wouldn't report it despite being advised and encouraged to do so by the rest of the people in the office

It's all very worrying and depressing.

I’m stuck in a social media algorithm where that seems to give me anti social behaviour across the country and I’m bloody shocked at what kids have been up to over the summer.

What’s your source OP? I live in city centre and have heard nothing of this.

It’s awful. Arseholes zooming about balaclavaed up on bikes. They know they’re untouchable (thanks SNP).

Oh my God, this is terrible, but what would the festival will have to do with it? Is it just that they’ve got more victims around?

I was determined to go around the UK a lot this year, and people kept saying to me “ Edinburgh” but as well as being busy, I’m under the impression that it’s not very nice now, so that’s why it wasn’t on my list.

editing to add - I think it’s going on everywhere. Someone I know was caught up in the incident at Clapham over Easter I think it was? And she was visiting me and we came across three teenagers just hanging around. She literally jumped out of her skin. Fortunately, we’ve been okay here, but she had that visceral reaction after being caught up in Clapham.

I think the this might be one of the incidents the OP is refering to. A young woman was assaulted in Princes Street Gardens . She has video footage of the kids who attacked her and has managed to find other evidence of them being wee hooligans around the city. I think she found the police response pretty woeful. Here's a link to her Instagram :Instagram

I personally haven't seen anything recently. I remember seeing the kids waiting outside Waverley with the supersoakers with a year ago. Reddit posters mentioned that they had been targetting non-white women. I was on a bus at Cameron Toll last summer where a rock was thrown through the window but not seen anything anti-social since then.

Is it just edinburgh? I'm going to scotland next month and now a bit wary assets, it's on the list of places to visit.

Happened to me in Glasgow age 20, 23 years ago. Is it really getting worse?

Behaviour in school is getting worse, and the SNP have removed the ability of schools and the police to hand out consequences for bad behaviour, including assaults. I can well imagine that it’s getting worse here.

It's definitely worse than back in the day. I don't know if other places have similar problems.

Is it more city centre?

Oh this sounds awful! Is it middle aged women who are being targeted? I feel relatively safe nowadays, I’m sad I don’t get wolf whistled at or looked up and down any more but on the plus side I’ve always found teenagers quite polite and friendly. I’m a teacher in England FWIW and try the ‘kill them with kindness’ approach. I’ve never encountered this sort of thing and Edinburgh city centre is usually just teens playing up against each other isn’t it? Has it got darker of late?

From the sounds of it the numbers arent huge

Ffs. One is too many!

Yes women of all ages (no "she reminds me of my mum/nan" exceptions). I'm late 40s.