Anti-social behaviour/Fear of Crime

[Ami]

Hi,

I live in East Dulwich but am currently at University. I'd really appreciate anyone's views on the topic of my dissertation, which is based on the way in which people view youth and crime, and the way in which this is related to how its represented in the media.

Do you think that media portrayal of youth and crime, especially in London, is accurate? Are you affected by antisocial behaviour, or know people who are, or are you worried about violent crime? What kind of demographic do you think people tend to associate this kind of crime with?

I'm really interested in whether people think that the media are over-hyping the issue or whether they think it's an accurate portrayal. I'm also interested in the different aspects of people's fear or crime: what do you worry about, who do you worry about, do you think it's people from the local area who carry out street crime and anti-social behaviour or people coming in from other areas? Or do you not think there's a problem at all in East Dulwich but know other areas where it is?

I'd really appreciate any thoughts about this, either via the forum or if you'd prefer email me on dissertationresearch@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks,

Ami.

[snorky]

What phone do you have blud ?

What train do you get back at night ?

Do you live alone & in what street ?

[Keef]

This thread, this thread, this thread, this threadand finally this thread will all be good places to start.

[mockney piers]

Search for buses and 12 and you'll get a pretty good idea how kids are viewed too.

We're becoming a veritable university resource these days. A deanship for Mr Administrator surely.

[MrBen]

Whats with the mobile phones playing music out loud on buses. Whats wrong with headphones?! That and the odd gang hanging on a corner telling my girlfriend she has a nice ass when she is walking back alone at night.

Those are the only things I object to really. Very laid back about the rest of it (drive bys on Barry Road aside).

[gerry]

Ami, I think you need to ask the youung people in East Dulwich as they seem to be targetted every day coming home from school - Dulwich College boys get their bikes stolen out from under them, mugged at the West Dulwich train station, Alleyn's boys and girls mugged at bus stops, on Townley Road, Carlton Avenue, Dulwich Village, walking down Lordship Lane, etc. Its crime which consists of kids on kids, robbing phones, watches, cash, Ipods, wallets. Most children in this area are aadvised by the police to "just give it up" rather than fight off a suspected child mugger. But that has simply encouraged these young thugs. Also, parents have stopped reporting this crime as the police claim they can do nothing about it. So there are no accurate statistics. Sad situation, but its bullying in its worst form. WE have taught this generation to "normalise" mugging and just accept it as a way of life in London. There is something very seriously wrong with this kind of thinking.

[Keef]

gerry Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Dulwich College boys get their bikes stolen out from under them

Oh well, mummy and Daddy will just get them a better one ;-)

[gerry]

So.......does this mean that crime is ok provided it is perpetrated against certain individuals?????

[Maurice]

Of course it does gerry. It's just fair dues for gentrification. A redistribution of wealth if you will. The rich deserve the anti-social behaviour coming to them.

[TillieTrotter]

Oi Keef, thats a shit attitude. I paid for my daughter to go private by working my nuts off. And you cant get away with putting a cute emoticon on the end you little bugger.

[gerry]

I think Keef and Maurice secretly work for Robin Hood. I thought that way of thinking went out with the horse and buggy.

[Maurice]

Indeed but my horse and buggy were taken from me so I've progressed little really....I think they were redistributed. Come to think of it, didn't Chav note she's a new buggy?

[lozzyloz]

Just accept it as another stealth tax. We sent our son to martial arts classes from an early age. Initially because of some of the fears expressed above. We're glad we did as the benefits have been enormous. We get countless ipods, heaps of cash and dozens of flashy mobile phones every week to supplement our incomes. Can't believe those little posh kids are stupid enough to just hand them over, especially when they only lost them the week before. At first we thought the police would be on to us because of the obvious hoody disguise, but when they did come knocking we explained that Johnny was under 11 and so they left us alone. He's big for his age too, so when he's not too stoned from all the drugs (nicked from Alleyn's boys) we send him up to the offy to get our booze and fag supplies. His 3 year old sister is proving to be a natural with a switch blade.

[Keef]

F**king hell I was messing!

I know quite a few people that went to DC / JAGS / Alleyns none of whom come from wealthy families.

I did however also know some DC boys back when I was at school who were very very wealthy, and let you know about it!

I know Gerry mentioned those schools because they're local, but the kids from these schools can be little sh!ts too, and frankly, they don't have to deal with a fraction of the bullying / mugging / general sh!t that a kid from your average south London state schol has to. There you go, no emoticon.

[TillieTrotter]

Where do you get them stats from then Keef, alot maybe even most of my daughter's friends mainly from the 3 private schools were mugged at some point in their career. They are obvious targets of course. And you know, that I know, that you were messing. Sort of;-)

[Maurice]

And what about my buggy?

[TillieTrotter]

That was sold down peckham market Maurice, youll never see that again.

[snorky]

all thieving is wrong

but its understandable- this isnt a justification - when we effectively teach kids to fetish manufactured commodities by means of advertising and marketing, then the profits made by the manufacturers, distributors and retailers are going to be offset somehwere down the line, usually at the lowest common demoninator - the end user. We know about Telly power, but its much more subtle than that - its permeated down to toddlers by their environment, their peers and their parents- perhaps unwittingly

When parents support his whole parasitic industry by buying into the brand & using the kids as a means to display their relative wealth, with the accumumulation of ostentatious labels , then they help to reinforce this problem.

You want trainers.

YOu are not Mikey Jordan - then there is not justification in paying ?100+ for trainers that are basketball designed.

Why an Ipod ? Why not a scumitsu mp3 player - they do the same job, but one costs 10 times as much

Dont get me started on the Ifones.

The middle classes are invariably comfortably employed in the industries that waere spawned by this explosion of in yer face consumption - the advertisers/ marketers/ merchanising professionals - but bleat about the growing gap between the have / have nots typified by these street muggings and suchlike and fear for their kids safety

Shopping is now classed as a leisure activty by the UK population - its hard to believe this isnt it - buying things as something to do at the weekend - beats going to a park or a museum anyway.

YOu/We created this monster, but refuse to accept that its all our collective responsibilty - its easier the blame the perpetrators of the crime than to look at the true malaise behind this ( over hyped )rash of anti social behavior

bah!

[blinder999]

I don't really think the desire for material possessions is at the root of it. In my small market town, the local working class youth was endlessly kicking the sh!t out of any other youth they perceived as being 'middle class' - they never robbed people - probably because there was nothing to rob, no ipods or phones. It was a power game, just to show that they were in charge.

Same thing for these robberies - they take other kids' phones etc because they're on a power trip, and the fact that the police can't/won't do anything about it makes it no risk. The tenner they might get for the nicked phone is a bonus.

[Nero]

I also find it very distasteful that shopping is classed as a 'leisure' activity and I don't like the fact that scores of soulless malls are put up only to be filled with the same shops selling the same stuff to the same people. I don't disagree that saving to buy something that is useful and desirable to you is a good way to go, but the aimless grabbing of smelly candles and fluffy cushions and overpriced gewgaws is disturbing and upsetting. My neighbour's son had his iPod nicked by a couple of louts who simply and casually walked up to him, after having got off the bus a stop after him and walking back to him, and said 'so, what've you got for me?'. It was that casual, that banal?. Nero

[TillieTrotter]

Agree with Blinder.

[snorky]

Dont mean to be flippant, but if it was a scumitsu mp3 player, they probabaly would not have bothered

Blinder- you are right up to a point, there has always been bullying etc, but kids now have so much recognisable trophy

"stuff", they are an easy target- a relatively riskless way to obtain an object of fetish

[lozzyloz]

Joking aside I do sympathise with some of the parents experiences above. My son went to an Independent Dulwich School. He has been robbed because of the badge on his blazer but also on the street or on a train when dressed in civvies. Thankfully he's never been seriously hurt and as he got to 14+ his size meant he was less of a target. However, the point I'm trying to make is that private education, wealthy background etc does not make you any more or less of a target. It is and it always has been a youth culture thing. The only difference is in my day ot was a school cap or pocket money and a good kick in, now it's an ipod or mob. If you look at the statistics it is actually more prevalent amongst less wealthy families in poorer districts. It doesn't help that kids now carry high value items around but in our consumerist society these are simply becoming replaceable commodoties. You can't blame it on "leisure shopping" or the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" it's simply down to the kind of values we instill in our kids as they grow up. Unfortunately these values vary widely and some parents simply do not care. But what's the solution? Surely not a nanny state or worse still, Al Queda imposed Sharia Law?

[blinder999]

the thing is, they don't know whether it's a scumitsu or an ipod, when they say, 'so, what've you got for me?' - I know, white headphones might suggest an ipod, but I don't think they really give a sh!t.

[macroban]

Fear?

Maybe.

East Dulwich is now seen as an affluent gentrified area.

Not for all of us.

I don't carry anything of "value" except a few pounds for food shopping.

What happens if I say I have nothing worth stealing? Would I be believed? Would I be assaulted for a disbelief? Would I be assaulted again when the truth was known?