Kids being kids!

Tiddlywinks

chirpchirp wrote: »

I'm glad you posted this because I've been surely tempted to report it and thought I was behaving too rash when I began to telephone them. When I said I'm not bothered if there is damage to the car, what I meant is that it is so scratched etc, that I wouldn't know which damaged they had caused.

I want to know that they've been told off and that it won't be occurring again.

Criminal Damage Act 1971:

Section 1. Destroying or damaging property.

(1) A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another intending to destroy or damage any such property or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged shall be guilty of an offence.

Yes, they're 'only kids' but since when is this kind of behaviour acceptable? If you let this go then you are letting them know that it was OK to do what they did.

Is that the message you want them to take from this?

fawd1

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

kids who take a scooter and throw it at a car deserve to be reported to the police - that is anti-social behaviour.

But the kids are 10. TEN years old. Apparently old enough in your eyes to permanently change the course of their lives because of one bit of bad behaviour. I happen to disagree. Talk to the parents, they may well be horrified at what their child has done, in which case they will deal with it. If they are not, then, and only then consider the police.

Tiddlywinks

fawd1 wrote: »

But the kids are 10. TEN years old. Apparently old enough in your eyes to permanently change the course of their lives because of one bit of bad behaviour. I happen to disagree. Talk to the parents, they may well be horrified at what their child has done, in which case they will deal with it. If they are not, then, and only then consider the police.

10 years old - that's the age of criminal responsibility.

The OP visited and put a note through the door as no-one answered (despite possibly being in)...

This isn't a case of throwing eggs or something - and even that is anti-social behaviour - this was throwing something heavy at an expensive asset belonging to someone else. That kind of behaviour deserves punishment. A child of 10 will fully understand the consequences of a heavy scooter hitting a car.

I would be having a word with my local CSO or PCSO and ask for a visit.

MarilynMonroe_2

I think you should let things lie personally.

Tiddlywinks

MarilynMonroe wrote: »

I think you should let things lie personally.

Why? Why should anyone accept a group of kids throwing a heavy object at their car?

If communities stop challenging this kind of behaviour then you eventually get anarchy. Anti-social behaviour needs to be addressed as soon as it appears - it won't go away if you ignore it!

MarilynMonroe_2

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Why? Why should anyone accept a group of kids throwing a heavy object at their car?

If communities stop challenging this kind of behaviour then you eventually get anarchy. Anti-social behaviour needs to be addressed as soon as it appears - it won't go away if you ignore it!

Because of the title - kids being kids - and the fact she isnt bothered about her car.

If she takes the advice form here she will be building a whole heap of trouble for herself and her son.
Its gone from the Op being not too bothered just concerned to people encouraging her to make sure somehting is done about the criminal damage she wasnt even that bothered about.

Basically she's being egged on in this thread about somehting that will no doubt just peter out itself.

Tiddlywinks

So, you think it's OK to ignore criminal damage?

You think it's OK for kids to throw heavy objects at cars?

I'm glad you're not my neighbour.

zaxdog

fawd1 wrote: »

But the kids are 10. TEN years old. Apparently old enough in your eyes to permanently change the course of their lives because of one bit of bad behaviour. I happen to disagree. Talk to the parents, they may well be horrified at what their child has done, in which case they will deal with it. If they are not, then, and only then consider the police.

No THEY were old enough to commit criminal damage and should have any and all penalties thrown at them.

Oh thats right until they start to whine and then we should pet and coddle the little vandals :eek:

fawd1

zaxdog wrote: »

No THEY were old enough to commit criminal damage and should have any and all penalties thrown at them.

Oh thats right until they start to whine and then we should pet and coddle the little vandals :eek:

It's not about that. The fact is that I think all children are capable of being extremely naughty once in a while. The question for me would be in regards to whether this was a one off ( in which case their parents should, one would hope, be horrified and deal with it appropriately) If it wasn't a one off, then consider reporting them. Otherwise don't make their lives incredibly difficult because of one mistake.

Erinnire

I would be very careful of reporting it to the police especially if you live on an estate, I reported some locals kids to the police and ended up setting off 6 months of daily vandalism, abuse etc... and at one point social services had to remove me and the kids from the home it got so bad.

I would leave then incident with the scooter for now, yes it was wrong and they should be punished for it but life doesn't work quite like that.