Crime/Bad neighbours under 16

Poshsalt

Hi,

I moved into a flat with my baby and for last 4 months there have been neighours 14 and 16 who are known by the other members of the flats to be very bad behavour.

They have keyed my car, riped signs down, sleeping in the halls, cut cctv cables, broken the lift more than 4 times, robbed and smashed up my neighbours (whos 80) food bag, stolen amazon parcels the list goes on and everyone seems to know its them, police known about them and seems like nothing can be done. There 14 and 16 this I think is the legal age where nothing can be done.

We pay £1k a month for the flat so its a good location an we been told there on DSS.

So what can be done and isnt there a school for bad behavour kids?

hazyjo

Move? Lucky you don't own it or you'd never sell! Do you have a 6 month break clause? If not, just keep a diary of events and speak with police and report to council.

Alderbank

Poshsalt said:

There 14 and 16 this I think is the legal age where nothing can be done.

Which country are you in? In England & Wales the legal age of criminal responsibility is 10.

Poshsalt said:
...an we been told there on DSS.

Extremely unlikely. DSS was abolished in 2001, many years before they were even born.

Don't believe everything you are told.

marcia_

Poshsalt said:

Hi,

I moved into a flat with my baby and for last 4 months there have been neighours 14 and 16 who are known by the other members of the flats to be very bad behavour.

They have keyed my car, riped signs down, sleeping in the halls, cut cctv cables, broken the lift more than 4 times, robbed and smashed up my neighbours (whos 80) food bag, stolen amazon parcels the list goes on and everyone seems to know its them, police known about them and seems like nothing can be done. There 14 and 16 this I think is the legal age where nothing can be done.

We pay £1k a month for the flat so its a good location an we been told there on DSS.

So what can be done and isnt there a school for bad behavour kids?

 Call the police every time, report them to the landlord and keep a diary of events.
 But your best bet is moving, could take years for action to be taken to move them if ever.

 Where they go to school is non of your business. 

FreeBear

Alderbank said:

Poshsalt said:
...an we been told there on DSS.

Extremely unlikely. DSS was abolished in 2001, many years before they were even born.

And being in receipt of benefits is not a prerequisite for criminal or antisocial behavour. You can be a lying, thieving sexual predator and get to be the president of the USA or get a seat in the House of Commons/Lords. 

theartfullodger

Sorry to read your story.  When you reported these behaviours to police (in writing?) what response did you get, and did you get crime reference numbers?  


Move.

HampshireH

Poshsalt said:

Hi,

I moved into a flat with my baby and for last 4 months there have been neighours 14 and 16 who are known by the other members of the flats to be very bad behavour.

They have keyed my car, riped signs down, sleeping in the halls, cut cctv cables, broken the lift more than 4 times, robbed and smashed up my neighbours (whos 80) food bag, stolen amazon parcels the list goes on and everyone seems to know its them, police known about them and seems like nothing can be done. There 14 and 16 this I think is the legal age where nothing can be done.

We pay £1k a month for the flat so its a good location an we been told there on DSS.

So what can be done and isnt there a school for bad behavour kids?

Not a lot if their parents aren't parenting them or sending them to school (if indeed this is what you meant by a school for badly behaved kids).

You need to move.

Mardle

I live in an area where we regularly have problems with anti-social youths.  If they are over 10 then action can be taken against them. It takes time and you may feel nothing is happening but you need to persevere.

You need to make contact with your local neighbourhood policing team who will probably advise you to keep a diary and report incidents. If you can get to know the local PCSO they can be a lot of help and may give you their email address so you can message them direct.  

You need to encourage your neighbours to do the same. If you and your neighbours can set up a chat group on Facebook you can support each other.

IF you have reported incidents and feel no action has been taken you can use the Community Trigger https://asbhelp.co.uk/community-trigger/

Poshsalt

Thanks for you help, when my car was vandalised a checked if it was just mine or others an bumped into another neighbour who said they parked outside and they throw a bottle off the balconey an hit there car an when they went up to shout at them the dad answer an said nothing I can do, I cant control them that was the end of that.

Live in UK, I thought there some law by the queen to say nothing can be wrong if there under 14.

Lets say I went to police about my car, would the parent have to pay up, it was on cctv but then i'll be a target.

phatbear

Poshsalt said:

Thanks for you help, when my car was vandalised a checked if it was just mine or others an bumped into another neighbour who said they parked outside and they throw a bottle off the balconey an hit there car an when they went up to shout at them the dad answer an said nothing I can do, I cant control them that was the end of that.

Live in UK, I thought there some law by the queen to say nothing can be wrong if there under 14.

Lets say I went to police about my car, would the parent have to pay up, it was on cctv but then i'll be a target.

The queen doesnt/didnt make laws.

Also if the age of criminal responsibility was 14 the two kids who killed Jamie Bulger would have got away with it as they were both 10 at the time of the crime, which by the way is the lowest age for criminal responsibility.

as far as their parents having to pay for any damages there are a couple of options. 

1. Let your insurance company chase them, assuming you made a claim.
2. take out a civil suit against the parents 

both of these options would obviously rely on evidence rather than theory and hearsay

Yazmina

The best thing you can do is move. This behaviour will have been going on for years and, even if you report it, it will carry on. Before you commit to a new place compare the crime stats on police.uk. Nowhere's perfect but you can be better informed next time.