Troublemaking Kids - What Can You Legally Do?, Help! Options

[sarah-flute]

I don't know if anyone can help but I thought it was worth asking.

There are a couple of girls who have been causing trouble in my neighbourhood. They sit outside people's houses (not their own...) playing loud, obnoxious music (music in the loosest sense of the term!) and I actually only got them to stop sitting directly outside my house by threatening to confiscate the mobile they were listening to music on.

They are also the prime suspects/almost-definites/definites for a range of minor vandalism round here - tipping over plant pots, wrecking the little girl next door's snowman, throwing jelly at a neighbour's door, damaging the wall around the parking area, throwing gravel, graffiti etc. (these kids are about 11...!!)

I am keeping a record of any incidents just so if it comes down to it we can show that it's ongoing. We need neighbours need to work together to see what, if anything, can be done.

Tonight they were back with some friends after a week or two's peace, and causing more trouble: they were shouting abuse at one of my neighbours along with more of the usual.

We spoke to the police, I think last we heard someone would come visit all of us in the next few days. Apparently others have made complaints along with myself and my immediate neighbours.

It's really intimidating especially for the three women, myself included, who live alone along our bit of the road. There are also a couple of elderly women at the end of my block - fortunately I think because there's nowhere to sit outside their houses they don't get so much trouble from them/it's not straight outside their houses.

They only left tonight because it started to rain.

Does anyone know what legal measures can actually be taken? Do we just keep trying to move them on, keep reporting them when they go beyond the pale? What do we do? What can we do??

[nicki_flute]

Defintiely keep reporting to police, keep a diary, maybe try and get pictorial evidence ie. video camera/take pictures what they're doing. sorry this is happening (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[all ears]

This is exactly what we've been going through with kids from our local school. Rocks, yelling, abusive songs...and worse, which I won't give details of.

This is what worked.
1) Good luck - construction started right over the road from us, which discourages kids from hanging round.
2) Setting up video cameras, preferably with a microphone. The microphone needs to be kept out of rain, though. Our neighbourhood associated arranged this for us as a loan for a few weeks, and it was enough to make the kids change their route home. This was surprisingly effective.
3) Discussed with neighbourhood/residents' association, who started coming past our house in droves.
4) Discussed with school. This was variably successful. The principal was more interested in avoiding claims, but while he was weaseling, his staff ran out of the staffroom and came to help us, and that was enough to put the less dedicated rabble-rousers off. Teachers started dropping by our house after school and moving kids on...
5) Discussed with police. You'd be surprised how much police know about the kids probably - they may even know who they are before you even describe them. Police told us to call them immediately if incidents occurred, no matter how trivial - don't wait till they're really over the top. (This is Japan, mind you, but there's always hope).
6) Keeping a record - DEFINITELY.

[lizbun]

Keep records and all that , and do what the police advises.
There are a lot of those kind of kids in my naighibourhood, only they ride mini-motos at night, and graphity on almost every empty house. At least it's better now exept for the graphity

[ianporsche]

Keep records and all that , and do what the police advises.
There are a lot of those kind of kids in my naighibourhood, only they ride mini-motos at night, and graphity on almost every empty house. At least it's better now exept for the graphity

graphity ?

[lizbun]

I couldn't be bothered to check the spelling

[JohnS]

Try graffiti.

[lizbun]

Try graffiti.

Yep thats the right one

[katyjay]

They only left tonight because it started to rain.

Pray for more rain? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Seriously, you have my sympathy. We had similar challenges at our old house, and did most of the things you describe above. Eventually the kids got bored of our little area and moved on somewhere else.

[jod]

This may sound silly but have you tried talking to the kids themselves. In a group they are often intimidating, but talk to them and they see you as a person, and vice versa.

We have a group of young kids who often play football at the end of our road. I know who they all are, and furthermore I know their parents. If they start causing a nuisance, I tell them calmy why and they normally apologise and modify what they do.

In one case it was a point of safety. Understandibly footballs go under cars, but I've asked them to ring on the doorbell and ask me to retrieve footballs that go under my cars. Why- because they don't know when they were last driven, and I wouldn't want them to burn themselves on the engine block.

I patch-up other peoples kids when they have accidents, and go out if I ever see they are hurt. The result- I'm not seen as the enemy.

OK these kids are under 11, and I'm an adult, but by saying Hi, and recognising these young people as people, it defuses the situation tremendously.

[mwl1]

You have my sympathy. How long has this been going on?

[sarah-flute]

They only left tonight because it started to rain.

Pray for more rain? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

The thought has entered my mind (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Thanks for the support and advice, folks. Shan't attempt to answer everything now - am completely knackered. But I really appreciate it.

[Mushroom]

I think that the nlimits on what you can legally do to children like that are far too strict. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)
I my self have never experienced that, but all I could suggest would be keep reporting to the police/Local society. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) Hope it gets sorted. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[oboist]

This may sound silly but have you tried talking to the kids themselves. In a group they are often intimidating, but talk to them and they see you as a person, and vice versa.

We have a group of young kids who often play football at the end of our road. I know who they all are, and furthermore I know their parents. If they start causing a nuisance, I tell them calmy why and they normally apologise and modify what they do.

In one case it was a point of safety. Understandibly footballs go under cars, but I've asked them to ring on the doorbell and ask me to retrieve footballs that go under my cars. Why- because they don't know when they were last driven, and I wouldn't want them to burn themselves on the engine block.

I patch-up other peoples kids when they have accidents, and go out if I ever see they are hurt. The result- I'm not seen as the enemy.

OK these kids are under 11, and I'm an adult, but by saying Hi, and recognising these young people as people, it defuses the situation tremendously.

Nice idea and if it works - well done. My husband tried to talk politely and in a friendly way to a group who were causing trouble where we live and all he got back were four-letter words and sullen looks. Later that night we discovered his car covered with eggs and though we don't know it was them, we cannot think who else would have suddenly taken it into their heads to behave like this.

He's said he'll go straight to the local police in future - apart from anything else, one of the group showed himself to be physically aggressive, presumably to show he meant business. However community spirited we may all feel, risking personal injury is pretty daunting.

The sad thing is, until the present adults of this land (including ourselves) do stand up to be counted and say "enough is enough" and find the time to present alternatives for these kids (who are often just seriously neglected and bored) we're not going to sort the problem. Difficult really. I have the utmost admiration for those who are trying to run local youth groups etc. Not easy these days.

[sarah-flute]

Yes, that's the problem we have - they don't care how you treat them - they don't want to know.

I think sometimes the parents have a lot to answer for - the teens causing trouble here last night have been a problem before: my neighbour went to one of their mums who said "oh yes, she pulls down my wall too" as if that made it OK - and the other laughed in her face.