We live in quite a bad area, especially in the flats, it’s not crazy dangerous but just a bunch of delinquent kids hanging around everywhere. Our area is well known for “chavs”.
Today, my grandma was cooking in the kitchen and had opened the windows to ventilate the kitchen when a group of 13-14 year old “chavs” kept shutting the window and taunting her.
This isn’t the first instance and has been happening to her and our neighbour, we are all Asian so maybe they see them as easy targets as they can’t speak English fluently.
The police have done nothing as they only give warnings and then don’t really care about it anymore.
Another instance happened where they kept banging on our family friend’s (their neighbour) door and shouting through their letter box.
Is there anything we can do? Unfortunately, I wasn’t home to say anything to the kids but they constantly do this from time to time and it’s very frustrating.
31 comments
Sometimes confronting them can cause problems, on the other hand ignoring can also make it worse.
If it’s causing a problem in the community, and you can get enough people to speak up about it, many voices can make a difference. The problem is, many people are too scared to say anything.
Living with anti social neighbours can be very difficult, and it is a hard situation to manage.
You might have better results with the police contacting the safer neighbourhood team, or the equivalent depending where in the country you live.
Contact your council’s anti social behaviour team.
Record instances of anti social behaviour, the time, nature etc of it so that the council or police have more to go upon.
Consider contacting your local councillors, or local MP.
If I had my way these sort of nasty loutish little scumbags would be drowned to relieve society of their burden. Sadly I rarely get my way…
In all seriousness, though, try and get some evidence. CCTV cameras are dirt cheap these days, an indoor one that records to an SD card would probably be enough if they’re coming close enough to close her windows. Gather evidence and submit to the police via email if possible so there’s a trail. If possible record phone calls and log dates and times of both incidents and contact with police.
Also, if the police are repeatedly made aware but do nothing meaningful, report to both the police force concerned and the IOPC. Use the evidence described above to demonstrate the incidents, the number of occasions reported to the police, and that the incidents have continued.
Good luck. This sort of low level stuff can really get you down, similar crap from many years ago has certainly left me with an absolute blazing hatred of chavs and antisocial people in general.
It might be worth installing some type of CCTV which may act as a deterrent. Ring doorbells are relatively cheap. It also means that you can access the camera to check up on her. The police can’t really act on accusations with no evidence so it might help if you had some footage. You can also share the footage on community social media pages such as nextdoor and get your neighbours involved. Maybe some of the parents will be on there and set their kids straight.
As long as they’re not from some local nutter family, you could just scare them off enough into leaving your family alone.
Tell her to shut it back. You need to confront it back. But not illegally.
Security camera, even a small one in the window. We had problems with kids hammering on our door and running off in the middle of the night; put a £20 camera in the window, and they’ve not done it since.
Did capture a wonderful piece of footage of a load of them coming up to the house, spotting the camera, and scattering.
Tell them you are sorry they have no schemes, but your Grandma is not the borough.
Work out where they live and confront the parents?
Gather as much evidence as as possible, then hit the Council and see about an ASBO? In my experience, the police are less than useless and confrontation with the little bastards will lead to them escalating the aggressive behaviour.
You might be able to push for relocation?
I thought chav culture died out ages ago. I’m sorry to hear that they are causing problems for your grandma. I hope it gets sorted.
Sometimes, reasoning with the kids might help. Approach and say, Lads/girls whomever, look i know it’s just high spirits and a bit of fun for you, but my gran is not well & elderly. Please don’t do this. Kids do most things for a reaction.
You never know sometimes kill with kindness works. Failing that.. then gloves off and yes get a camera.
Make some chocolate brownies or cookies and give them out to them?
the gesture might make them less inclined to wanna be rude or somthing
chavs are tricky to deal with, it seems like you’ve screwed yourself a bit though by involving the police.
best thing you could have done is talk to them and try and have a bit of banter, gain some respect and they would have left her alone, going to the police has put a massive target on you
Cctv and report to council every time it happens . Anti social behaviour is usually a council matter I’ve found them to be good. Just Google antisocial behaviour + your area
I would think they’ll be even more on the case if you suspect it is racially motivated. Good luck. Don’t put up with it.
Film them and post it on local groups online.
Failing that, get a super soaker, load it with beetroot juice and douse the fuckers.
Council youth work department, district/outreach team.
3 big lads to come out of grandma’s house when it happens and ask if they’re alright or lost. No need to be overly confrontational or hostile, stare and they’ll get the picture to fuck off.
I’d move out the area if possible, nothing you can do, if you intervene makes situations worse, if you do nothing it wont stop
The only real answer is to move away from the problem
Record them and show to every neighbor in the block. Buy a bunch of usb and give them away sl they embarrassed themselves with the whole neighborhood
Report ever instance of them causing “trouble” to the police, if you do not tell them, they do not know there is a problem, they are not psychic.
Get a crime number and keep a record of them, it is an offence to cause [Intentional harassment, alarm or distress.](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/33/section/154) Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
This is what my parents had to do to get anything done.
Cameras outside your grandma’s home. if they catch them in the act you can send it to the authorities.
Call age concern. They will speak with the police I’m sure. Elderly victims of anti social behaviour have committed suicide over it.
Call social services on their parents continuously, pay other people to call social services on them; etc.
I don’t think we use the word chav anymore, my dude.
Tell the police the kids shout race related slurs and that you believe you’re being targeted due to your race.
This will get the police to take it seriously, especially as it’ll then go down on their record as a race related incident, something no police force can ignore (rightfully so)
As others have said, cctv will help massively. And keep calling it in, eventually the police will log they have had too many calls regarding that issue and that area that they have to investigate.
We had a similar problem a few years ago. I put the rumour out that I had done time for manslaughter. The difference in the way I was treated by the local lads was remarkable.
Tell them u going to beat their asses if they come near that window again, if they do smack them all.
Buy a trackie and bally, become the coolest guy on the block and run them out the ends
In all honesty, CCTV and take the footage to the police, if that’s ignored then beat the shit out of one of them with a balaclava on.
Sometimes it’s the only way