“Juvenile crime is not naturally born in the boy, but is largely due either to the spirit of adventure that is in him, to his own stupidity, or to his lack of discipline, according to the nature of the individual.”
Robert Baden-Powell
Foreword
I published this a few days ago to a general consensus. Most of the respondents had the usual Utopian ideas as to how to deal with this issue i.e. a good slap around the head, public floggings etc. How we can dream?
Granted in our useless liberal namby-pamby state we cannot hope to see this, so here’s a solution borrowed, in part, from a ground-breaking approach in Iceland over the last two decades.
Click & Collect
Firstly, adopt the Icelandic approach of a strict 10pm curfew for all those under eighteen. Any caught on the streets would then be detained overnight putting the fear of God in them. You would only have to pick-off the odd ring-leader.
Parents would be allowed to collect the following morning at 10am; Parcelforce would not be available to deliver. This would have the effect on working parents of messing up their day in the same way their unruly kids mess up ours. It would also alert the schools too.
Non-working parents would miss Jeremy Kyle and not be allowed to collect kids wearing a onesie.
What is very clear having seen the responses on message boards is that this is not confined to one part of Bradford; it is endemic and threatens to destroy communities.
Equally, according to one business owner, these kids are coming from far and wide with the police having to devote resources to driving them home. It defies belief with police as stretched as they are.
For the original main article read on.
Trouble, Trouble, Trouble
Most of us who live in and around Idle village appreciate the vibrancy of life here, far enough away from Hapless Hinchcliffe and the asylum down in the centre of our city.
The beautiful old buildings and lively pubs – including the world famous Idle Working Mens Club – numerous stunning walks and a great mix of people make Idle a cracking place to live.
For years however, despite numerous new housing developments, the village centre seemed in terminal decline.
There was the White Swan of course – lively on any given night – and The Symposium, once a rare spot for fine dining. Blighted by neon lit take-aways, the reality was there was little else to entice one into the village.
Over the last couple of years however, there have been welcome signs of life.
Two new coffee shops, our first micro-pub and the conversion of the Symposium to the Idle Beerhouse offering hope that things are on the up. This is certainly the case if you count the number of estate agents in the village, shiny suits and slick pointed shoes on every corner.
Lately though all these improvements have come under threat. Not from austerity but a bunch of spotty teenagers running riot in the village centre.
Reports of one man hospitalised, numerous cars attacked and videos of anti-social behaviour on social media have quickly given the village an unwanted tag.
Here I may start to sound like an old fart…stay with me.
A report in today’s rag contains the usual hand-wringing from those supposedly in authority.
…police said they had been proactively working to tackle concerns, had conducted ‘days of action’ in Idle, continued to work with local schools to address the behaviour of children in the area and had issued warning letters to youths suspected to be involved.
Rip somebody’s wing mirror off and get a letter from Plod; that must really put the fear of God into them then.
Councillor Jeanette Sunderland (Lib Dem, Idle) said anti-social behaviour notices had been issued for firework throwing, dispersal orders had been issued and officers had also gone into secondary schools to talk to young people about their behaviour. She said the option of additional CCTV cameras was being investigated, but it was hoped businesses would contribute.
Councillor Sunderland clearly has not got a clue as the perpetrators laugh at useless letters whilst she expects businesses to incur costs to maintain basic law and order.
She said: “I think young people converge in the village because they feel safe. Some young people converge in the village as they live here and like everyone else, they have a right to move about in the community free from challenge. But that small minority who are intent on causing trouble – stop it – because it might be your grandparents being frightened.”
Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Get into the real world.
These kids will push and push until they are kicked back twice as hard. T’was ever thus and no amount of soppy, hand-wringing, liberal policies will have any effect whatsoever. Nor have they done for the last few decades.
Watching Traffic Cops last night on C5, one of the officers on duty in Bradford commented as to why it is so important to catch teenage miscreants early because, if they went unpunished, the nature of their crimes would simply escalate.
But if you had any belief that Plod might be engaged here consider this before you waste a section of your life calling the useless ‘101’ option.
Inspector Diane Collins, from Bradford East NPT, said: “Officers from the Bradford East team have been proactively working to tackle the issues raised by local residents in Idle. They continue to work closely with partners and the community to address anti-social behaviour and crime issues.
“The team have also held a number of resident and business meetings, conducted proactive ‘days of action’. They continue to work closely with the local schools to address the behaviour of young people in the area. Warning letters have been sent to local youths suspected of being involved.”
People – not politicians – have invested in the village. Equally, locals finally are starting to see a village that has a chance of prospering. That this should be put at risk by a bunch of hormonal halfwits is not acceptable.
These are kids being allowed to dictate terms and if they continue to be met merely by ineffectual gestures, the consequences could be much more severe.
It is time for the authorities to pull their fingers out and stop hiding behind the tried, tested and utterly useless. Serve the people who pay your wages.
Jayne says
My family used to live in Idle. I am moving back there shortly. Please, is there anything we can do to tidy up The Green. It is such a shame. Dirty pavements, litter etc – and a conservation area?! Just a bit of care it could be great. Can we get in touch with the council? can we all get together to sort it? Its a brilliant place with the new cafés and bars. Oddfellows, a listed building, stands empty, swamped in rubbish. It is such a shame.
Steve says
Thanks for the comment…there are signs of life…I’ve lived here most of my life…take a look at The Trumpit Facebook page and why not write us a letter? You are right and good things are starting…maybe we could all do a bit more?