A waste of police time . . . ?

Question

I know it was on here yesterday but this cocktail sausage thing - the boy who was arrested for lobbing one at a neighbour who was allegedly verbally abusing him? Things like this make me want to scream - in my day 'the adults' would have sorted disputes like this without involving the police.

It reminded me of those girls arrested for criminal damage (graffitti) for chalking on the pavement. I chalked on the pavement as a child - I was taught this at my playscheme as a constructive way of occupying my time.

Does anyone else think things like this are an absurd waste of police time and unecessarily criminalising kids?

thanks faith - good morning to you

Answer 1

Two things concerned me about this case. The child said the man had been harassing him for ages. And the mother said he had learning difficulties and other problems.
So I think there's a lot going on behind the scenes that we don't know. I've lived in a block of community flats and seen how adults can behave towards children (my kids are very well behaved - I am a strict mother). But every day we had complaints like ("you use the garden too much" - and "your children could scrape the grass") and we had the police called because the kids were playing with toy guns. ("Youths with guns running around"). Luckily for us the police didn't pull out their guns and start shooting and the people who complained were told off for wasting police time.
And then again, I've seen the way kids can be rude, too, to adults who ask them not to swear, or throw litter etc
So when I look at all this, combined with the mothers comments, I wonder what was really going on. I think it might have been a long running issue.

Answer 2

I think alwaysmoose and David make a great point. Things just are not the same as the used to be when people dealt with there problems in a civil manner without having to call the police for petty crap like that when most Departments are understaffed and underpaid and hate BS calls. Trust Me on that one. But everyone is so sue happy anymore and have freaking lawyers on speed dial in case someone looks at them wrong. That and so many children now have learned that when there parents say no they can go tell the school councilor some story and have mommy or daddy carted off for child abuse or neglect when there is nothing going on. Still irritating.

Answer 3

It's complete madness Barbie, I quite agree. A few years ago, my friends son was in a football dispute with another boy outside their houses, and one boy kicked out at the other boy with his trainer flying off his foot in the process. My friends son retaliated by throwing his trainer over another garden wall. The mother of the kickee (!) called the police and my friends son had to pay £10! Honestly, it was so stupid we all had to laugh, but rediculous that people can get on the phone to the police for absolutely pathetic reasons.
BTW I used to draw on the pavement with chalk too, we used to play hopscotch.

Answer 4

Yes, of course Barbie...a complete waste of time. Some people are immature enough to settle scores with the parents of a child in this way.

Answer 5

Take care of the problem yourself and you get sued. I say calling the police is the safer option. We created this country now we have to live in it.

Answer 6

waste of time. people need to grow up! me and my brothers (3 of them) would throw rocks, sticks, g.i.joes, hot wheels, bottle rockets, whatever at each other. And mom would always take care of it with the belt. We are now in our 20's and we all get along fine

Answer 7

Don't you know, police are now responsible for parenting.