Would you confront yobs?

[Abi]

If you saw yobs in your area, breaking into your car, or damaging other parts of your property, would you confront them?

This comes after multiple people have been killed, after doing the same thing. I'm interested to see if this has changed peoples ideas about confronting yobs.

I wouldn't. I wouldnt want to take the risk. My car was broken into while i was in the house, and i did nothing. You can claim for these things on insurances, and though its not ideal, i'd rather do that, then lose my life over it. I can understand some people wanting to defend themselves, but i'm prone to avoiding risks like that, wherever i can.

[DaVeyWaVey]

I probably wouldn't have the courage to confront any yobs. I remember back last year, my brother's van got vandalised and my dad and brother were considering chasing after the vandal but the police got involved instead and eventually arrested him, though he couldn't pay for the damages because he wasn't from a well off background.

My friend ended up getting punched in the face, after confronting some yobs last year. I think it's best to never really confront yobs. If i ever get any remarks in the street, i just ignore them and never let it get to me - i wouldn't confront them and take the law into my own hands as things would get messy. I wouldn't shout anything back or get into a fight with them as i'm kind of resorting down to their level.

If i ever seen any yobs commit a crime, i'd probably inform the police instead of taking the law into my own hands - i think that's best.

[Jojo]

You know what though.....go back even 5 or 10 years, and we wouldn't even need to think about this, because the majority had respect for each other and each others property. Now....they don't....(or so it seems anyway)

Even now I feel guilty for no reason when I see a police officer, yet so many younger people just start shouting abuse at them. A couple of weeks ago a friend of ours was on duty and on going to investigate a reported sexual assault, got bottled in the stomach. Had he not been wearing a stab vest, he could have been in serious trouble.

And they're getting younger - I requested to some yr 7's to move out of the way on the pavement so we could get past rather than them laying all over it and got two and one fingered salutes and swearing back for it.

I think it would depend on the individual situation/circumstances as to whether I confronted or not....

[Meh]

I have to agree JoJo. We've always had yob trouble but nowhere near as bad as now. But then again, we had local bobbies with power to do something, you paid respect to your teacher, and anyone could clip you around the ear for being a rude, arrogant ****.

Now that I'm a family man I would think twice about getting involved. Sadly, my instinct would probably be to get involved, the same as many others.

The last incident I had was about two years ago. On my motorbike, group of yobs thought it would be fun to push me off as I went by. They never did, but what kind of idiots would think such an action would be fun?

[Jojo]

I have to agree JoJo. We've always had yob trouble but nowhere near as bad as now. But then again, we had local bobbies with power to do something, you paid respect to your teacher, and anyone could clip you around the ear for being a rude, arrogant ****.

Now that I'm a family man I would think twice about getting involved. Sadly, my instinct would probably be to get involved, the same as many others.

The last incident I had was about two years ago. On my motorbike, group of yobs thought it would be fun to push me off as I went by. They never did, but what kind of idiots would think such an action would be fun?

Exactly TM - now as parents we can be divorced by our children or taken to the European Court of Human Rights for trying to ensure that they are being respectful etc. I've instilled respect into my boys from the start, politeness etc and they are considered wimps for not swearing and for caring about what people think of them.

The police could actually enforce the law rather than being made a complete ar$e out of etc and the saddest thing is that half the parents don't care either.

And then you get the Health Visitors etc telling you as a parent that you shouldn't shout or make negative comments to your child about their behaviour and instead request that they refrain from doing that something in the future - yeh right, like thats going to stop them!

*jumps off soapbox*

[Siobhan]

couldn't agree more with you Em and TM... it was totally different in our days and yes if I see a policeman I automatically feel guilty even if I have done nothing.
We have had our bus service distrupted cause in an area along the route, kids as young as 8 years old, were throwing bricks at the bus and seriously injuring passengers.. Where were the parents in all this???
If these kids are allowed run around the streets to all hours at night, it is definitely the parents fault... Are parents becoming less strict? Are kids getting too much freedom?
I feel sorry for the Police cause if they try to enforce a law, they end up the victim.
I would never confront yobs for stuff, ie the car, house etc.. they can be replaced.. but I would kill if they attacked my family regardless of the consequences for me..

[Katy]

I don't think i would as i ended up getting smacked in the mouth last time i tried to help my mate when some muppet knicked her bag and it hurt.

I think i would be angry and want to but would be scared of what the would do to me. I don't think there is anyhitng you can do, especially reading about these poor poeple who have been injured recently.

[pookie1968uk]

couldn't agree more with you Em and TM... it was totally different in our days and yes if I see a policeman I automatically feel guilty even if I have done nothing.
We have had our bus service distrupted cause in an area along the route, kids as young as 8 years old, were throwing bricks at the bus and seriously injuring passengers.. Where were the parents in all this???
If these kids are allowed run around the streets to all hours at night, it is definitely the parents fault... Are parents becoming less strict? Are kids getting too much freedom?
I feel sorry for the Police cause if they try to enforce a law, they end up the victim.
I would never confront yobs for stuff, ie the car, house etc.. they can be replaced.. but I would kill if they attacked my family regardless of the consequences for me..

i completely agree with what you are saying. its about time some of these parents were held responsible for what their kids are getting up to. i bet loads of them dont even realise what they are doing and just think their kids are all sweetness and light!!!

[Chloe O'brien]

In the area where I used to live there were a number of kids always hanging around in gangs causing trouble. If the police went to see their parents about any incidents they recieved the same verbal attack that the kids were given, so its no wonder that some young people have no respect for people or their properties if they are not getting taught any family values at home. When I was growing up you would never dare give cheek to a grown-up nowadays kids in the street know more swear than I do.

[Kim]

I wouldn't want to confront yobs, but I would probably be tempted to shout abuse from inside. I wouldn't hesitate to do it if I wasn't worried that I would get a brick thrown through my window.

My dad was walking back from the pub a few weeks ago when a friend of the next door neighbour who would have been 15 or 16 had drunk so much that he was throwing up over the drain, asked my dad what he was doing there. A while later they were walking up and down our driveway and my dad was so close to going out there... I dread to think what would happen to him if he caught someone keying the car or anything, especially as it has been done before.

[di marco]

my mums cousin was saying that where she lives they have a lot of trouble with teenagers getting completely drunk. the police get called, throw the drink away and take them home. however instead of the parents telling the kids off they shout abuse at the police cos they wasted their money by throwing the drink away. no wonder these kids go round causing trouble if thats what the parents are like