Had door kicked twice - can police do anything?

[Bepis]

My 16 year old daughter had a verbal argument with her friends (mostly 16 year old boys) and no longer spoke to them. One of them made a threat to her saying that her and her friend are going to be 'jumped'.

At this point, I didn't get involved as I stay out of her friendships and arguments unless there is some danger involved.

After she fell out with these boys, a group of about 3 came to my house and banged on the front door and ran off. This frightened my other daughter who is disabled. I made a report online to the police and got a call from them the next day. They said they can't do anything about them kicking the door but could about the threat as it's 'malicious communications'. The officer I spoke to told me to ring 999 if they came to the house again and started doing the same.

Anyway, I spoke to one of the boys involved as I knew him and had previously helped him (mental health problems) and he said they would now leave it. I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Everything was quiet for a week and then last night, around 8:20pm, there was a horrendous loud bang on the door. I could have sworn I heard glass break at the time but I couldn't find any. The whole house shook and my disabled daughter was once again traumatised. DH ran outside but they had already run off. They left a whole shoe print on the door. No damage was done to the outside of the door but they did damage something on the inside that was connected to the door.

I phoned 999 as previously advised and he took details. Still waiting to hear from them but will they actually do anything? I know that it is breaking the law but it's whether the police are likely to take further action? If not it's going to continue and escalate and I may not be able to hold my DH back next time.

If you know that one of these kids carry a knife and has knuckle dusters etc that is worth reporting. I'm sorry your going through this and as other posters have said don't inflame it by chasing and make sure DD isn't posting on social media. Personif I had a good past relationship with one of them I'd text and say police and courts are now being involved that be enough to make them leave it

In my area in the last 3 weeks there has been a hit and run killing and a man missing for 8 days. Police not particularly bothered. Good luck with someone kicking you door twice.

This is awful OP, I would be making a formal complaint to the independent police complaints commission.

Threats have been made electronically and now your house is being targeted when you have a vulnerable occupant.

This whole thread is a sad indictment of how disgusting and incompetent the police in this country has become.

I would go as far as to speak to the local paper and send them the photo of the little hooligan and that the police have refused to act to keep your DD safe.

Do you and DH have some friends who could help sitting outside the house? Sounds stupid but if every time they turn up there is someone sat there they will soon clear off. The problem is that they know the police will do nothing. They know that if DH chases them he will get prosecuted, not them.

That image is good and clear.

Have you told the police about the lad with the knife? Doesn't matter if it's "only" a pen knife. There was some bother near us with a bunch of teens and the police only got involved when one of them started waving his knife around as part of his hard man act.

The police are seriously underfunded and overworked, I say that as the ExWife of a police officer. Ex because he spent more time at work then home as they were so understaffed he was covering extra shifts, dangerous to him from exhaustion and spread to thin to always be able to get to everything when needed. It's wrong for the public, for the police and for their families that barely see them. There were weeks where I didn't see him for days because he was working such long hours and I was asleep when he finally got home and he was gone again before I got up. It eventually destroyed my marriage.

You are completely right. It’s not that individual police officers don’t care, but that they are stretched so thin.

Update

The police came round to see me this morning with the neighbourhood PCSO. They looked at the footage and some other footage we had of 2 of the group members coming to our door and telling us they had nothing to do with it. This was because my husband has posted 3 of their names on Facebook as we knew they were involved in the group. It seems they wanted their names removing because they were not part of it according to them. However, they were tagged on social media along with the boy who is in that photo who kicked the door so they were all hanging around together.

Police said one of the boys (she didn't say who) has an antisocial behaviour contract already so the youth offender team will be involved with him and it will be quite serious for him under that.

The police said they will speak to all involved and they recognised some of the names we gave.

We know that one of the boys has got a telling off from the police as well as his dad, has had his phone taken off him and is grounded until he goes back to school. I know I shouldn't but part of me feels bad because he was the boy that I had helped and I genuinely feel he has just got in with the wrong crowd. It's a shame as he and my daughter were best friends.

Apparently the Police visited the boy in the photo but someone had warned him that the police had been to our house. Not sure how this girl knew that but the boy in question apparently wasn't as home. Hopefully they can catch up with him at some point.

Credit where credit is due though, the police have been brilliant.

Really glad that they have taken it seriously and acted on all your information and evidence. Fingers crossed it will be an end to it all

God OP this is really awful I'm sorry it's happening to you,

Last resort but could you post their faces from the video on local SM like Nextdoor? Shame them that way?

Sorry didn't read full thread, see you have done that

My God so they came round over hurty feelings of being named and shamed?

I'd have been less polite than you OP, I would've suggested if they or their no doubt equally feckless parents don't like their chavvy little thugs being named, then teach them basic respect and not picking on a 15 year old girl next time, and to not harrass a family with a vulnerable child.

This makes me so angry. I really hope these useless officers do actually do something other than allowing these vile kids to deny all knowledge of it.

Glad you’ve been able to speak to the police and they’ve been helpful.

Hopeful the boy you say was best friends with your Dd, will have the got the fright of his life and won’t do anything like this again.

I'm having kids bang on my windows and doors atm too and the police are treating it as harrasent and a public order offence. Might need to politely explain to them that this is what it is and you expect it to be dealt with as such. Get footage, names, and report every incident.

Good luck OP, its awful

Further update

The Police officer who came round earlier today phoned me to update me on what action had been taken.

One of the members of the group had phoned the boy on the photo to come and kick our door as no one else wanted to do it apparently, they were too scared. This girl has been spoken to and has been placed on an acceptable behaviour contract and is not allowed to come near our house or be out in a group for 6 months.

The police found out that my daughters former best friend was the instigator for all occasions and he too has been placed on an acceptable behaviour contract. His states the same as the other girls but he has the additional clause for not instructing others to do the behaviours.

The boy who actually kicked the door is already on an antisocial behaviour contract so it's being passed onto the youth offender team for them to deal with him. They tried visiting him but they said he didn't answer. The officers were convinced he was in but no one came to the door.

The police officer thought their behaviour was ridiculous over a silly argument but they all admitted their involvement and the officer said she was 99% sure there would be no further trouble. She apparently proper shouted at them all and came down hard on them.

Have to say, I am quite impressed with the police this time.

I will reply to individual posts shortly.

Sorry didn't read whole thread. Glad they're sorting it!

An update on the situation - the people in question were issued Acceptable Behaviour Contracts. However since then, my disabled daughter has become mentally unwell, under a psychiatrist and is now in hospital. This is all the result of what those boys did to our door.

Police said they can't charge them with ABH as they didn't lay a finger on my daughter. However, I know from case law that ABH can include psychiatric harm. The police tried to say they didn't cause the psychiatric harm although there is mountains of medical evidence to prove otherwise. Police also said that even if they were charged, it wouldn't go to court due to their ages of 15/16. Ridiculous system.

Does anyone know why the police once again are protecting the offenders and not the victim?

Oh @Bepis I have no advice but your poor daughter. I remember reading your thread last year and thinking how bloody frightening it all must have been for everyone. I'd have been terrified! Take care

If the CCTV shows their faces and the police are doing nothing I would escalate to the sergeant but if you can’t see who they are unfortunately it’s not what you know but what you can prove.

There’s a process, first stage is the ABC and if that’s breached it’s escalated. Youths are given numerous chances to correct their behaviour. In the majority of cases it works but some kids never learn.

You need to get the doctor who treat your daughter to provide a statement or other evidence to say that her current mental health condition is a direct result of what the boys did to your door. The condition also has to fall into the ABH category to charge for this offence.

We also will need to establish which boy caused what effect.

Has there been an admission made by the boys in question and have they said that your daughter was the intended victim?

@Felix125 Thank you for replying. She's under so many people, including a psychiatrist so would there need to be a statement from all the people involved or just the main one?

I understand there are certain criterion that need to be met for a prosecution of ABH, that there must be a technical assault or battery, and that the technical assault or battery caused the harm.

The technical assault occurred when the door was kicked as my daughter felt she was in imminent and immediate danger of having force used against her. By her reaction, she thought they were kicking the door down to get into the house. That satisfied the technical assault element.

The standard appears to be met for ABH as their actions caused my daughter severe psychiatric harm which can be backed up by medical records, and even my text conversations with her to be honest as it is evident her mental status changed after the incident.

My issue is that I have had police officers telling me that it's not ABH when it is. Also a Sergeant who hasn't even met me or my daughter and has not been involved in the case, said that boys kicking a door would not cause a hospital admission 2 months later. How does he know? He's not medically trained. He hadn't even viewed any of my evidence.

I've referred the case to be reconsidered anyway but if they refuse to reopen it then I will have to go higher up the chain of command until they do their job properly. They are meant to protect people, not protect the criminals.

All the boys caused it, it was a cumulative effect so they are all culpable for the harm caused.

Yes the boys have admitted to doing it as well as one of them being caught on camera. My daughter who is in hospital was not the intended victim but she ended up being a victim of their actions. They knew her condition yet carried on regardless.

Its usually the consultant which provides the statement & supporting evidence

It may be a difficult one to prove, as you will have to have definite link between the boy kicking the door and the mental health decline. The argument will be that there was something else in the interim 2 months that has caused it.

But, this is what the consultant will need to demonstrate

Thank you. Why are they just dismissing it without even looking into it though?