At what point do you involve the police?

[AuntieDiluvial]

A 2dry school pupil attacked a 1ry school pupil, both in uniform but away from school premises. Threatened with a potentially very dangerous 'weapon'. No injuries resulted (by luck!) but the victim was frightened and there were threats of retribution if the victim 'told'. Both schools know and are addressing it.

But if it happens again?

Certainly if it happened again I would speak to the police

Now is when I’d involve the police.

As above now.

Now without a doubt!

Now tell the police!

Threatening violence with a weapon is a police matter, end of story.

Today.
Without a doubt.

I know the family. Life is not easy for them. I don't want to make life even harder for them. As I said, the schools are involved, and I really rate highly the 2ry's pastoral care. I'd like to give them a chance to work with this child.

But of course I also worry about endangering my own child.

Your empathy for the other family is admirable OP, I mean that genuinely. However your priority is your child, and only you know what the situation is. I have to say I involved the police when my son was battered with sticks earlier this year and they did the square root of fuck all, but at least it’s meant the bullies have backed off a bit.

How easy will it be of that child seriously injuries another person or worse? Sometimes you need to do something hard to prevent something worse!

When the law is broken. So now.

Life is not easy for them

Do you realize the wealth of help available to families referred to social services youth justice etc receive???

Or you could let them continue to flounder until their child is locked up for murder .... your sympathy is misplaced

I'm not sure why you're putting that responsibility on me,GreenTulips. My understanding from MN, from RL, from the news, is that in theory there's lots of support, but that the reality is very different. Besides, the family are almost certainly already in the system.

So both school are addressing it? Let’s hope they deal with it and that’s the end of the bullying.
Any further attempt of bullying and I’d involve the police.

My 12yo dd was recently subjected to bullying, thankfully not physical but I reported it to the police when the group involved made threats online and she took a screenshot.
The police were brilliant and liaised with the head before talking to the ringleaders and their parents. Unfortunately this fuelled the fire and they became more antagonistic towards my dd, nothing obvious but whispering, spreading rumours and laughing at her.
In the end dd contacted them and asked if they could clear the air and move on and bizarrely they agreed: they now completely ignore her but have moved on to another victim. For them police involvement had little effect.
I hope everything works out for you

Weapon?! I’d phone the police! Perhaps tell them you’re worried as they have problems and you’d prefer them to be handled with care as far as you’re concerned but a weapon and threatening harm is a police matter - what if next time your child is seriously injured or worse

Not is the time to involve the police.
The most compassionate thing you can do for the bullying child is to give then consequences and shutting down their behaviour. The police take this stuff seriously, and experience tells me that they are often effective in this situation.