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Original poster

Are there 'gangs of kids roaming the streets' making you feel unsafe?

48 replies

UnquietDad · 05/09/2007 12:34

As a woman on Jezza Vine has just been saying.

It's the kind of thing my mother says, but people of my age are increasingly saying it.

What's it like in your area?

OP posts:

whiskeyandbeer · 05/09/2007 12:36

when in town occassionally if i was on my own. but as i'm a 22 year old bloke in a (fairly) affluent area i don't come across intimidation often. but i do see why people, especially the elderly would be scared of these groups, especially with the scare mongering media we have now adays.

Carmenere · 05/09/2007 12:36

Yes kids hang out in gangs and mostly are fine but the occasional gang are lttle tossers and they are the ones that give the other ones a bad name and make ordinary people fear all teens.

schnorbitz · 05/09/2007 12:37

Don't see them roaming the streets as such but DH won't let me go to local shops at any time of the day as there are loads of kids hanging around there drinking and swearing.

Original poster

UnquietDad · 05/09/2007 12:40

I've often wondered what the difference is between a "gang" and a "group". Is it just a matter of perception? You get groups of kids hanging round together here - not so much on street corners where I live, but in some parts of the city.

A park also seems to be a magnet for teenagers who want to gather after dark. Is the oft-cited "needing something to do" the answer? I get the feeling that if they opened a youth club for them to go to, they wouldn't go.

OP posts:

peanutbear · 05/09/2007 12:40

In the village where we live there is loads of teenagers hanging around, but they seem to be older than those that hang about where I am from originally.

I didn't think 17, 18, 19 yr olds hung around streets I thought it was for the younger teenagers so this surprised me.

I am not frightened of gangs of young teenagers it seems like a right of passage most of the time they are talking to their friends not causing trouble.

I do however find groups of 19 yr olds disturbing I dint really understand why they are doing it when they should be in work /uni.

at the moment the local paper are campaigning agint them! becaue they are bulling younger teenagers and putting the evidence on youtube

GrumpyOldHorsewoman · 05/09/2007 12:42

They do make me feel a bit uneasy sometimes. They tend to hang in ever-increasing numbers around places like the Londis shop, and stay there until late at night. It is very intimidating to have to walk through them (they stand in front of the door, making it difficult to get in and out). The local town is mainly closed on Sundays, but is pedestrianised, so it's a right good haven for the buggers. They either skim past you on bikes, or just watch you as you walk past, which is obviously meant to intimidate. I grew up in London, and I have to say I find smaller towns much more threatening, especially in the evenings.

TheQueenOfQuotes · 05/09/2007 12:42

yes there are groups of kids/teenagers round here - but they don't make me feel unsafe - mostly chatting about who they snogged last night .

and I don't like the use of the word "gangs" for them - most of them are not gangs.

Original poster

UnquietDad · 05/09/2007 12:43

Apparently the UK has 1.2 million NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training). Makes you wonder what they are doing - and where their lives are going.

OP posts:

aloha · 05/09/2007 12:43

No. And I live in SE London. Mind you, I don't go out much after dark. I am under the special form of house arrest called parenthood.

Original poster

UnquietDad · 05/09/2007 12:44

Agree about the standing-in-front-of-doors thing. I was quite shocked the first time I saw this in Sheffield - kids gather in front of off-licences and actively, shamelessly ask adults to go in and buy them booze.

OP posts:

bundle · 05/09/2007 12:44

it's mixed where we are (north london), though am on my second glass of wine at home as the hoodies start to roam..

KerryMum · 05/09/2007 12:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

peanutbear · 05/09/2007 12:46

I yes I watched panorama about it the other day I thought the one boy Grandma was responsible for him not working

Carmenere · 05/09/2007 12:46

It is how they consider themselves that counts. If they are in a 'gang' as such then they are almost incumbent to misbehave in order to maintain a baaad reputation.

Tortington · 05/09/2007 12:48

i watched the panarama thing the oter night ( yesterday? i forget) where they tried to get 4 or so teenagers in work

tey knew a tv crew was waiting for them

they didn't get up

they live with parents and or grandparent

what the fuckity fuck fuck fuck?

"time to get up son"
"get up son"
"last warning"

jug of water

then one of the lads who couldnt be arsed sending in his cv o a job lined up for him - well te granny said " oh i used to work in food retail and theres no money in it"

What the fuckity fuck fuck fuck?

is it me or are parents these days excusing the piss poor behaviour of lazy fucking arse twat noses who can't get a fucking job?

can't my bastard arse

WONT

and i aint no tory beat poor people until they bleed - type

take away job seekers allowence for single people under the age of 21 i say

leave school with fuck all.

har shit get a job

may be they will teach their kids not to dick about at school

Wisteria · 05/09/2007 12:48

We get a lot of kids hanging around parks, shops etc. I can't see for the most part what they are doing that is soooo wrong. Yes ok, some of them are smoking and swearing and that is unpleasant to see and hear (but fairly normal teen behaviour I think) I don't think the majority are that bad tbh.
Like the other poster said, a few give the rest a bad name. As a society we have become very intolerant towards teenagers in general so they are feared before they've done anything which I think is half the problem. We get them here but I refuse to be intimidated and tell them to mind their language etc - most of them apologise and some tell you where to go but the majority are polite to me. I have never seen groups of 19yr olds hanging around here.

expatinscotland · 05/09/2007 12:50

Re: 'needing something to do' - why is that the government's responsibility to give someone something to do?

Find your own damn stuff to do that doesn't involve crime.

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 05/09/2007 12:52

Occasionally there are gangs of cows wandering up the road. They only frighten the townies who are visiting for the day.

If there were gangs of young people I could offer them fruit-picking jobs . Do you think they'd do it in return for cider?

TheQueenOfQuotes · 05/09/2007 12:52

expat - when I was growing up there were plenty of opportunities for sport/youth club type things for youngester - sadly funding for most of these has long since gone, they've closed down and there really isn't anything to do.

We used to go to the cinema.....but now many towns don't have one (or if they do they're extortinately expensive), big groups of us used to go shopping together.......but now many shops "ban" large groups of youngsters etc etc

Tortington · 05/09/2007 12:53

PARENTING CLASSES

i can't say it enough.

since when was it culturally acceptable to let your teenager roam the streets and do god knows what , god knows where without your knowledge?

regularly

this aint a sneak out the house becuase i am 16 and my boyfried is fit analogy

this is a cultural norm all over the country.

why arn't the parents doing anything?

expatinscotland · 05/09/2007 12:55

QofQ, where I grew up was a huge city with 'nothing to do' like sports clubs and the like. And no public transport so you had to be driven everywhere, even more so because the age to drive has been risen to 18.

We still made our own fun at home.

Didn't need to go and hang round in gangs and sulk because the government didn't provide us with stuff to do.

TheQueenOfQuotes · 05/09/2007 12:55

and what good would taking away job seekers allowance for under 21's do?? My brother left school with only 2 GSCE's - both C's. He sent off (literally) 100's of applications for jobs, and had numerous interviews - but didn't get a job - it wasn't through lack of trying - should people like him be "punished" because of a minority of people???

TheQueenOfQuotes · 05/09/2007 12:56

oh yes - I remember "fun" at home as a teenager......generally involved watching TV all day or (for the "lucky" ones - I wasn't ) playing on the Nintendo etc.....was really good for me

OrmIrian · 05/09/2007 12:57

No. Not really.

However I don't feel particularly safe with gangs of pissed up adults (I use that word advisedly) wandering around town. If I want to take my kids out for a meal later than 6pm I should be able to without exposing them to that!

peanutbear · 05/09/2007 12:58

Custardo I agree why is a person straight out of education allowed to sign on to job seeker allowance its an easy cop out then not to go to work

if they are going to get paid cant they go and learn some kills whist looking for work or do comunity service jobs for their money

Money for lieing in bed is not a great incentive to go to work is it

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