Truly Sickening....

[captain nemo1701]

I was once cycling home past Victoria Park in Bristol and I stopped to let a car past. Some a***hole in the rear leaned out and spat a liquid into my face. I've also had a bottle of coke thrown at me from a bridge over the Bristol railway path. But that's nothing compared to what this poor guy suffered. WTF don't some of today's younger generation respect their elders? . Awful thing to happen, I hope he recovers quickly.

 

[marshmella]

F******* sick scum. I cycle canal towpaths regularly, though generally trouble free i tend to be wary of teens hanging around, and I'm 25 years younger than this poor chap.

 

[CopperCyclist]

You know, I'm generally calm, measured and controlled - but I'd really, really like to go to town on those offenders.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

As long as we live in a country where cash cutting is king, and that includes police, things can only get worse.
Perhaps we'll start to see vigilante groups soon.

I can't blame a police officer for being frustrated. My girlfriend has to wear steel toe caps and carry a personal attack alarm in case the patients she carries in the ambulance attack her.
We have raised an untouchable generation.

 

[jdtate101]

Let's not get this too far off topic please.

As far as punishment for these little scrotes, I too would like to see a much more forceful approach. Teens now-a-days have too little respect for authority and far too much sense of their own 'rights'. It's true we have raised a generation with no morals what so ever, but it's as much our fault as it is theirs. For too long we have had a softly softly approach where appeasement is the order of the day, rather than confronting evil and dealing with it. What we need as a society is strict rules and boundaries, upon going outside the rules you no longer are afforded the rights of that society. Slapping a repeat offender, who may have dozens of offenses, with yet another 'community' order is useless as the buggers just laugh it off. If they were genuinely scared of the consequences they may just think twice before they act. Examples need to be made of such people with harsh punishments, and not just the kids but the useless parents too.
This might sound very right wing, which I'm completely not BTW, I'm just sick of people feeling afraid and vulnerable just for going about their daily lives, and having to be fearful of gangs of kids on our streets.
After my run in, I had to change my routine, and I'm sure this poor guy in the news story may also never cycle along the canal again. It's him who has ended up being punished, loosing the thing he loves doing through fear.
I really hope they find these sick idiots, but I won't hold my breath........

 

[Hip Priest]

I comletely agree that criminals need to be punished more severely, in terms of prison sentences. What irks me is that many crimes have been re-branded as 'anti-social behaviour'. No doubt to help artificially reduce the crime figures.

I watched a documentary the other night which showed some youths throwing bricks at a property, and it described their actions as 'anti-social behaviour'. It isn't anti-socal behaviour, it's crime! Let's call it what it is.

 

[jdtate101]

Let's call it what it is.

Criminal Damage

 

[benb]

Is there any actual evidence that crime and/or antisocial behaviour is lower in places/times where harsher punishments are applied? I must admit, I thought it was pretty much accepted that prison is not a significant deterrant.

I'm not suggesting these scumags shouldn't be punished, and properly, just that it's significantly more complicated than the hang 'em and flog 'em brigade would have us believe.

 

[trampyjoe]

<big snip> and not just the kids but the useless parents too.<snip>

There was a chap on the news the other week who was complaining (and getting sympathy iirc) that he got time inside because his kids were not turning up at school. His defence was 'I can't make them'. I agree with him getting time, I do not agree with the news station broadcasting this as a 'give this guy sympathy' story.

As for prison .. a few weeks in a cell with a telly and free food isn't much of a punishment imo.

Oh and I just remembered, if you are in prison and don't want to be, just say it breaches your families human rights and they'll let you out, as in the case of the guy who was in prison for robbery and said that his kids were without a father so it was breaching their human rights. The powers that be let him out!

 

[Hip Priest]

Is there any actual evidence that crime and/or antisocial behaviour is lower in places/times where harsher punishments are applied? I must admit, I thought it was pretty much accepted that prison is not a significant deterrant.

I'm not suggesting these scumags shouldn't be punished, and properly, just that it's significantly more complicated than the hang 'em and flog 'em brigade would have us believe.

I don't know whether prison is the answer, but what else do we have? If the people who terrorised this gentleman found themselves in prison, then canal path users would be safe from them for the duration of their sentence, and that's something.

 

[benb]

I don't know whether prison is the answer, but what else do we have? If the people who terrorised this gentleman found themselves in prison, then canal path users would be safe from them for the duration of their sentence, and that's something.

I certainly think a custodial sentence would be justified for the people in this specific case, but what I'm interested in is what works. What is most likely to prevent them from doing something like this again? IMHO, prison on it's own probably isn't going to help in the long term.

I don't know the answer, but just chucking them in prison, with no other action, is unlikely to solve the problem.

 

[Mo1959]

I certainly think a custodial sentence would be justified for the people in this specific case, but what I'm interested in is what works. What is most likely to prevent them from doing something like this again? IMHO, prison on it's own probably isn't going to help in the long term.

I don't know the answer, but just chucking them in prison, with no other action, is unlikely to solve the problem.

It certainly doesn't. Took early retirement through stress after being a prison officer for just over 25 years and it was a revolving door a lot of the time with the same women coming back time after time. Even got to the stage I was seeing the daughters of the women I first worked with.

Parents who have been in and out of prison most of their lives then bring up children with the same blatant disregard for the law and how to treat people and it just goes on.

This might sound terrible and definitely against their human rights but I think some of them should actually be sterilised!

 

[Accy cyclist]

I tend to have the "it's only me"thoughts, that has to put up with these low lifes, but when you get people talking on the subject it's comforting to know that we're all in the same boat. Obviously if you live in a desired area as opposed to a "rough area" you'll come into contact with these criminals less, but you still have to walk/cycle to work, or go to shops, or any day to day activity so the chances are that you will come into contact with them.
I notice that the so called expensive areas to live in my town are more and more in the local newspapers where anti social activity is becoming the norm. The local park where i do laps around is in a "desired area" but it becomes a no go area at night with cars parked up with what could be anything sat in them. The war memorial/ garden is frequently left beer can and litter strewn, trees have been hacked down, benches smashed, they even set fire to a little aviary years ago killing loads of budgies and finches. The swine who did it also smashed up a newly rebuilt shelter next to the aviary! When caught he was ordered to labour for the builder who rebuilt it..for no pay! Believe it or not that was his punishment, and to add insult his dad said that "he was only having a bit of fun"!

 

[StuartG]

Scum, disgusting and so on. Could not agree more.

But are we not responsible for part of the consequences of social uncohesion? I was appalled at my kids going drinking in the park - uncontrolled. And control is not a realistic option At their age I was in the back of a pub slowly and respectfully downing my half pint. As was common the landlord knew I, and quite a few others, were under age but as long as we were no problem - there was no problem. By the time I was 18 I was already socialised into drinking and sharing an adult environment. Knowadays a landlord is risking his career/bank balance if he chances it with anybody looking under 25 without verification.

Result? Drunken kids locked out of adultdom, wandering canal paths or worse and we get surprised that the worst of them take it out on us?

It was so predictable but the folks who introduced the draconian licensing laws wouldn't and still won't listen to the unintended and contradictory consequences to their campaigns.

 

[jdtate101]

It may sound odd, and very likely unpopular, but I think compulsory national service is defiantly required today. I'm not talking about sending the kids to the front lines, but rather a structured, disciplined lifestyle for 2yrs minimum. Far too many of these kids have had little or no structure in their lives resulting in ferral behaviour. When they did that program a few years ago where they took some real nasty layabouts and put them through 4 weeks of 50's style national service, many of the kids came out saying that it ended up being the best thing they had ever done, and a few of them went on to sign up for the regular army.
Some kids are just crying out for some guidance and leadership, someone to show them the way, and I think we as a society need to be tougher and more structured as a result. Teach them a sense of duty, honour and the value of a hard days work, and we would see less of this anti social behaviour.
Not sure it could be achieved, but plenty of nations do national service and they manage just fine. There will always be disaffected youth, but maybe we can turn some of that anger and frustration in a positive direction.

When I was in the Army, some of the best soldiers I met were what we would class as 'dead loss' kids. All it took was some structure, guidance and time for them to really find themselves. It's true that the army way of breaking someone down and rebuilding them into confident individuals can be applied elsewhere with positive results. Sometimes the only time people can really, truly find themselves is when they hit rock bottom, under circumstances of pressure and hardship.

Maybe also incentives such as sponsorship for university after doing your service, much like the American Army scholarship programs?