Teen crime - my experience
As my 17 year-old son was beaten up by a pack of kids last weekend, I had a particular interest in reading Time magazine's report on youth violence in Britain. It doesn't paint a pretty picture.
I can't help wondering how much police procedure helps in all this. My son was attacked - without provocation - on Saturday night. (He told the kids who punched and kicked him that he had a pacemaker, but it didn't make any difference. He was knocked cold in the end, and he's still suffering from concussion.) Yet the officer handling the case didn't plan to interview the main witness - one of my son's friends - until this weekend. In the end I arranged to take both of them into the station last Monday evening. (The police weren't willing to come out to see us, because we live a few miles outside their station's patch, although under the same police authority.)
It's been left up to us to find other witnesses, which we've now done. The PC also told us she wouldn't be able to do anything about the case until this weekend because she is off-duty until then. In other words, it's been left to us to get everything moving. When you've been a victim of crime, you don't really want to be in that position. Perhaps I'm just unlucky, but I've had the same experience several times in recent years. If the officer dealing with your case isn't on duty, you're left in limbo. It doesn't exactly fill you with confidence.
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James
March 28th, 2008 1:41pmDespair-inducing. Hope you're kid's getting better
Ralf Goergens
March 31st, 2008 5:25pmI am extremely sorry to hear that. I wish your son a quick and full recovery.
Laban Tall
March 31st, 2008 9:32pmVery sorry to hear about your son and I hope he's recovering OK. Likewise his mother and brother(s?) as well as yourself. Must be horrible.
It would be a comfort to think that an exemplary sentence would be passed if the perpetrators are caught, but unless there are aggravating factors ("hate crime" - aren't all such assaults hate crimes ?) I wouldn't expect too much.
My 18 year old is out "on the town" - probably not so different to the one near you - as I write. You just have to hope and pray - I'm always obscurely relieved when he gets home in one piece.
"Dad, things like that happen everywhere !"
"I know, that's why I worry"
Tom Grant
April 1st, 2008 3:13amJust out of curiosity, who have you voted for, for the past, for the sake of arguement, three elections. Labour or otherwise?
Doesn't matter to me. In the US, if attacked I am allowed to defend myself. Too bad your son, you and your family are not.
Consider the alternative: Your son successfully beats off his attackers, injuring at least one severely. Take it from me, you can't fight off a group without really, by that I mean hospitalizing some of them. But if he did that, the group would have gone to the police and charged your son. And he would now be under charges.
By law, in Britain, he isn't allowed to defend himself, is he? Well, is he?
jameshigham
April 1st, 2008 5:34amClive - I'm late to the party but I'm posting now on it. Very distressed to ehar it and hope it resolves itself.
Sally
April 1st, 2008 4:34pmI am a police officer and I feel for you and your son, as I do for all the victims of crime whose complaints I investigate. I am investigating a very similar offence myself at the moment. Unfortunately I am also investigating at attempted rape, an armed robbery, a complicated fraud, a drugs supply, three instances of criminal damage and an aggravated car theft. I want to deal with each job to the best of my ability, provide a good service to the victims and put together enough evidence to persuade the CPS to prosecute the lowlife perpetrators. My colleagues carry a similar workload. I hope the the officer investigating your son's complaint is not just lazy. I suspect she may be in a similar situation.Too much work, too many targets imposed by Government Diktats, too much emphasis placed on "sanctioned detections" and not enough resources to call upon. Detecting your son's vicious beating carries the same weight with the government bean counters as a playground fight. It's obscene. Hope your son feels better soon.
Clive
April 4th, 2008 11:17amThanks for the interesting comments. Will follow up with another post asap.