Mindless vandalism

[Scotty Mac]

people who destroy personal property, like cars or gardens, are ****s, i admit i have walked home on occaision after a night out, and the only thing i would consider doing is pulling a council bin up, bit sad but is fun at the time, especially when you do a sequence of them! i would never consider breaking a wing mirror off, thats just wrong, i have only ever turned them in, or put the wind screen wiper up!!

you sound so innocent. it couldnt be further from the truth! although i agree that destroying personal property is SICK

 

[Lady Whistledown]

It is low level crime and the cops are generally not bothered about it, we aren't talking rape or murder here, but it does lower the tone of the neighbourhood and reduce quality of life.

Take it from me, that's exactly what they ARE bothered about, as it's the sort of high volume crime that has most impact on people.

Most of us are fortunate that our lives will never be touched by stuff like rape or murder, but if you get away without some little sod snapping your wing mirror off, keying your car, or tagging your garden wall, you'll be very lucky.

The problem is that it takes a split second to damage a car and leg it, and the sort of pond life that perpetrate it do it for the annoyance factor (and often because they're pissed and it seems like a great laugh). I will drive around the entire city for eight hours on a night shift and might never catch up with the little gits. They don't tend to wait around to be caught.

We are VERY bothered about it, because it lowers the tone of the area, and lowers people's confidence in their neighbourhood, but it's not like a burglary, where there's usually various lines of enquiry. Unless you see it happen, there's often chuff all chance of identifying the person responsible.

Hence the police probably don't treat your report with the gravity of an international heroin smuggling ring.

 

[dougdeep]

Like being woken at 4:30 am on a Sunday by ten youths singing and shouting outside your house. Grrr!

 

[jevs]

people who destroy personal property, like cars or gardens, are ****s, i admit i have walked home on occaision after a night out, and the only thing i would consider doing is pulling a council bin up, bit sad but is fun at the time, especially when you do a sequence of them! i would never consider breaking a wing mirror off, thats just wrong, i have only ever turned them in, or put the wind screen wiper up!!

Oh dear....what an absolute cock you are. What gives you the right to touch other people's property ? Why do you find it fun to turn over a load of rubbish bins or push in car wing mirrors.

Hopefully, when you go to big school in september, they might teach you to respect other people's things.

Wanker

 

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

Take it from me, that's exactly what they ARE bothered about, as it's the sort of high volume crime that has most impact on people.

Most of us are fortunate that our lives will never be touched by stuff like rape or murder, but if you get away without some little sod snapping your wing mirror off, keying your car, or tagging your garden wall, you'll be very lucky.

The problem is that it takes a split second to damage a car and leg it, and the sort of pond life that perpetrate it do it for the annoyance factor (and often because they're pissed and it seems like a great laugh). I will drive around the entire city for eight hours on a night shift and might never catch up with the little gits. They don't tend to wait around to be caught.

We are VERY bothered about it, because it lowers the tone of the area, and lowers people's confidence in their neighbourhood, but it's not like a burglary, where there's usually various lines of enquiry. Unless you see it happen, there's often chuff all chance of identifying the person responsible.

Hence the police probably don't treat your report with the gravity of an international heroin smuggling ring.

doesn't lower the council tax bill though,
every time someone is a victim of this sort of crime and the cuddly plod can't be arsed to even turn up they should be given a rebate of 100 quid.

 

[adrian29uk]

Poor little children with no where to go. I think the best thing we can do is send them on a driving course and educate. BOLLOCKS.

Being serious, these little motherfuckers need to be caught, then be made to pay back for all the damage they have caused. There should be a system, where if proved guilty a portion of wages will be deducted when they start working to pay for the damage they have caused to peoples property.

About 4 months ago some little fuckers smashed down every single wall along Dorothy Avenue. I wish someone could catch them, then make them rebuild every single wall after school rain or shine, and make them pay for the materials on top of this.

Honest it will stop them causing any more damage.

I am honestly so sorry about your car.

This country has gone to the dogs as regards respect for people, education. A lot of the kids parents have no education themself or any idea what is right or wrong, they are f***ing scum the lot of them.

I wont to know when someone in this goverment will f***ing stand up and have the bollocks to say enough is enough and if you are caught vandalising peoples property you will be made to pay back the money. Prison does not work for these little bastards. Taking money from them when they are older will teach them a nice lesson.

 

[Yorkie]

They do get fined and have to pay compensation. The problem is collecting it.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/display.var.1476095.0.courts_owed_8_million_in_fines.php

 

[Gully]

Annoying as it is, I suspect the vast majority of vandalism is carried out by a very small number of people, in the area I used to live in it was known to be a group of maybe half a dozen lads aged about 16. What is the solution, how do we stop it, I honestly don't have an answer. The right wingers on here will suggest birching, the stocks and public humiliation as the answer...those on the left of the political spectrum will come up with pink and fluffy solutions, days out in the country or a nice trip to the zoo.

I suspect that the real solution is somewhere in the middle, trying to teach the perpetrators about respect, most of them go round in groups and pledge allegience to each other and have codes of conduct amongst themselves, if only they could be educated to show the same level of respect to others. Seeing as they spend most of their lives on the street maybe we could put them in uniform and pay them as PCSOs.

 

[Easy 10]

LANCE
Still got your Malibu?

VINCENT
You know what some fucker did to it
the other day?

LANCE
What?

VINCENT
Fuckin' keyed it.

LANCE
Oh man, that's f***ed up.

VINCENT
Tell me about it. I had the
goddamn thing in storage three
years. It's out five fuckin' days
-- five days, and some dickless
piece of shit fucks with it.

LANCE
They should be fuckin' killed. No
trial, no jury, straight to
execution.

As he cooks his heroin --

VINCENT
I just wish I caught 'em doin' it,
ya know? Oh man, I'd give anything
to catch 'em doin' it. It'a been
worth his doin' it, if I coulda
just caught 'em, you know what I
mean?

LANCE
It's chicken shit. You don't f***
another man's vehicle.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

doesn't lower the council tax bill though,
every time someone is a victim of this sort of crime and the cuddly plod can't be arsed to even turn up they should be given a rebate of 100 quid.

I do understand your frustration. But I don't see what you think will be achieved by a police officer actually coming around.

Let's say someone scratches your car in the street at 4am. You didn't see it happen. Nobody else saw it happen. There isn't a hope in hell of getting any forensic evidence as it's a car parked on a busy street, any number of passing people might have touched it, and vandals don't generally leave prints everywhere. There's no CCTV.

Any officer coming around your place will take details, get you a crime number and in all probability tell you that there is no chance of catching the perpetrator (if you have no idea who did it, why should a PC have any greater clue?).

All that happens if you insist on an officer attending is that they will do the paperwork instead of an office worker, they will keep the file, and they will be sat in the office filling in the forms as opposed to out on the streets, catching "real criminals", as the public so love to tell us (you know what? Occasionally we actually do catch them).

There are few enough PCs to deal with everything as it is, therefore generally speaking, the jobs that will be prioritised are the ones where there's a real need to see an officer. Sorry if you think your council tax (and mine) is being devoted to focusing on the crime we CAN actually stop.

 

[dougdeep]

I do understand your frustration. But I don't see what you think will be achieved by a police officer actually coming around.

Let's say someone scratches your car in the street at 4am. You didn't see it happen. Nobody else saw it happen. There isn't a hope in hell of getting any forensic evidence as it's a car parked on a busy street, any number of passing people might have touched it, and vandals don't generally leave prints everywhere. There's no CCTV.

Any officer coming around your place will take details, get you a crime number and in all probability tell you that there is no chance of catching the perpetrator (if you have no idea who did it, why should a PC have any greater clue?).

All that happens if you insist on an officer attending is that they will do the paperwork instead of an office worker, they will keep the file, and they will be sat in the office filling in the forms as opposed to out on the streets, catching "real criminals", as the public so love to tell us (you know what? Occasionally we actually do catch them).

There are few enough PCs to deal with everything as it is, therefore generally speaking, the jobs that will be prioritised are the ones where there's a real need to see an officer. Sorry if you think your council tax (and mine) is being devoted to focusing on the crime we CAN actually stop.

That's all very well, but what we want to know is, do you take your handcuffs home?

 

[Caveman]

I do understand your frustration. But I don't see what you think will be achieved by a police officer actually coming around.

More Bobbies on the street in hot spot areas would help, I know its not your decision to make I guess, but the police have a record of when and where these things happen and they should be on the street.

The parents have to be made responsible if these little fookers are caught. Made to pay back the damage.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I see perfectly well what you're saying- I pay taxes too, and I've also had my car keyed in recent months. And that was kind of my point. If we were to personally attend the house of everyone who had their garden gnome knocked over, or a wing mirror bent, in the dead of night, we'd never ever be out patrolling at all.

We are actually on the streets as much as we can be under the circumstances. I don't know a single copper who would rather sit in the office and write statements or fill in forms- why would any of us join if that were the case?

I can't stand being stuck inside, and believe it or not, on night shifts in particular (when, significantly, we're not making appointments or taking statements because everyone else is in bed) we just drive or walk around the city all night trying to catch up with the more malevolent elements of society. You might not see us, probably because you're sleeping, but we are there

 

[simon swagbag]

A couple of youths got in our front garden & smashed a few ornaments the other week. It was about half past midnight.
My missus heard them & chased them down the road in her dressing gown & slippers. As I stood in the front garden in my boxers & trainers I must admit I did let out a little chuckle. She obviously scared the crap out of them, they ain't been back.

 

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

stick a van load of rozzers in hotspots for this type of crime(mile oak road southwick)and do something amazing ,NICK SOME BAD UNS.
Don't try and understand the little sweatpeas,give the vermin 5 years no parole.

 

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

I see perfectly well what you're saying- I pay taxes too, and I've also had my car keyed in recent months. And that was kind of my point. If we were to personally attend the house of everyone who had their garden gnome knocked over, or a wing mirror bent, in the dead of night, we'd never ever be out patrolling at all.

We are actually on the streets as much as we can be under the circumstances. I don't know a single copper who would rather sit in the office and write statements or fill in forms- why would any of us join if that were the case?

I can't stand being stuck inside, and believe it or not, on night shifts in particular (when, significantly, we're not making appointments or taking statements because everyone else is in bed) we just drive or walk around the city all night trying to catch up with the more malevolent elements of society. You might not see us, probably because you're sleeping, but we are there

stick a van load of rozzers in known hotpots(mile oak road southwick)and do something amazing,NICK SOME BAD UNS.

 

[jevs]

FWIW, a couple of ****ing yobs went up our street a few months ago and broke 14 wing mirrors (not mine for some strange reason)

Myself and a couple of neighbours heard the noise, went out and saw them running up the road. We called the OB and within half an hour, 3 kids...all about 14 years old were arrested and charged.

Because my car wasn't touched, i only gave a brief statement of what i saw but the other neighbours were kept informed of everything that was going on with the case, when it went to court, what the outcome was and compensation etc.

Fair play to the OB in Lewes.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

I had this happen when I lived in Billericay, lads walking past my drum on the way back from the community centre used to regularly kick cars, key them, break aerials off etc.

The bloke over the road had a good solution, he rigged up a motion sensor (it was from a kids spy game) to alarm when someone walked on the offside of his car which alerted him to their presence he would then set off a camera flash gun hidden in his hedge which usually made them get off sharpish

 

[m20gull]

This is going to sound like I'm some sort of serial victim but I thought I would share with you some of our recent experiences with the OB.

Our youngest was surrounded by a group of youths in a town centre high street at about 8pm and one of the group decided to throw a brick through the window from a yard away, narrowly missing one of the occupants. CCTV operator did a superb job capturing the one person who was subsequently arrested charged and got ... "a referral order". This was deliberate violence with serious risk to the occupants of the car. It cost us £60 for the glass excess and £70 for the re-tinting of which we have seen three tenners and no further correspondence. It cost our insurer, and therefore every law-abiding policyholder, the balance of the cost of which we, society, have seen nothing. Thumbs-up to the police and CCTV, yahboo to the justice system.

When our other son was mugged at knife-point, he had the misfortune to be on a train and therefore subject to British Transport Police. The thief used the phone to talk to his friends (we know because we rang the numbers when they turned up on the bill). Did BTP do anything to try and solve this? No idea because the officer in charge wouldn't return calls and we never heard another thing no matter how hard we tried.

He also got stopped by the police - full "get out of the car!" routine while we parked in blockbuster to return a video. This is him (17) and me (40-something). We had a police check done. His offence? He had an L-plate on - HE WAS LEARNING TO DRIVE!

Youngest son was stopped and cuffed under suspicion of stealing a car. The one he was sitting in waiting to pick up a friend from the station. This needed two cars for one 17 year old.

The police are out there solving crimes, sadly from my experiences (and this is only a few of them and does not include the largest miscarriage which I am still not calm enough to discuss after 2 years) they treat everyone as a criminal, look for crimes that aren't there, couldn't care less about most crimes (because most crimes are petty ones) and are let down by the courts when they do get a result.

 

[Tesco in Disguise]

depends what kind of car you drive. no sympathy if it's a land rover or jeep or truck (not used for haulage). could be enviro-vandalism.