Police Chief: You must confront yobs

Adults must confront thuggish young people in public, a police chief has urged.

However, many are too frightened to do so because of a fear they may have knives, said Mike Craik, head of Northumbria Police.

'When I was a kid and you were misbehaving, any adult could challenge you. I'd like to get back to that,' said Mr Craik at the launch of an anti-knife crime campaign by his force.

www.metro.co.uk... _id=34

HElll Yeahh.
It's time for people to start growing some and taking their country back, because for too long now people have been in fear. It's time to change that.

What an absolute genius this man is. Now while I have no problem confronting 'yobs' - being big, a former dorrman and having a giant self destruct button, I would certainly not recommend it to just anyone. I read a recent report saying that one in 4 kids now carried a weapon.

What does he suggest we do when they inevitably get physical? If an average joe gets in a fight with a group of these idiot they will most likely be kicked to death, stabbed or shot. It's ludicrous to suggest such a thing.

When the law is so clearly on the side of these 'yobs' how can a police chief possibly justify saying such a thing?

My advice - unless you are confident of your ablity to win any fight that may result or don't mind taking the risk of being stabbed is to just walk away.

Maybe it's the coward's way out and this attitude is contributing to the problem, but I feel that it is the only sensible thing to suggest, and with our current laws what else can one do?

To me using reasonable force to stop someone attacking me - regardless of how it started is to incapacitate them as quickly and effectively as possible - I doubt the law would agree though.

All in all, a daft comment from someone who should know better...

example 1

example 2

example 3

Need I post more?

Who says the answer is violence though?
Violence is what these 'yobs' think in terms of.
What the police chief is trying to get at is adults need to get back in control, because that is how society works best.

My point is that if these 'yobs' are confronted odds are the situation will end in violence.

It's sad but very very true.

How do you get control over people for whom violence is a way of life without resorting to it?

It will accomplish nothing to talk sternly and try to force your authority but then back down when a knife is pulled.

What the police chief said is common sense...nothing else. To think you must rely on an underpaid public servant at all times to protect the lives of you and your loved ones is unrealistic and pathetic. Of course, you must confront evil and violence when/if it confronts you.

Every person should be somewhat prepared for this in life...it's a simple reality of the world we live in.

The formula for opression:

1) Remove citizens' right to carry a weapon for self defense

2) Tell them they now are responsible for their self-defense

3) Arrest them for defending themselves

Knives, how un civilized they all should be put in prison for carrying knives and the police should go door to door searching homes. A knife buy back plan might work too say 30 day period where you can turn all your knives and not be prosicuted. Then no more knives you should go after the forks that would be the next logical step. Require all food to be ground to a baby food like paste and the only thing you'll be needing is a spoon. Easy cure for a complex problem. Coffee time!!

mikell

reply to post by CyberSEAL


Very true indeed.
What kind of society have we built?
One where people walk the streets with fear and will watch innocent bystanders get attacked.
Not standing up for other people and not standing up for ourselves has become the norm in this society and something has got to change.

You know, if handguns were legal and more widely available to the public of the U.K., you'd have alot less of the violent incidents. Take it from me, when equipped with a knife, you feel alot less powerful than when you are holding a gun.

Likewise, a person can reason to slash or stab someone, as opposed to shooting them in an identical situation, due to the sound of the gun, the stiffer penalties for being caught, the likelyhood of getting caught, and best of all, the fact that the gun will likely kill while the knife has a better chance of only maiming, especially if you take care to avoid vital organs etc, like stabbing someone in their thigh or shoulder, for instance, are non-fatal attacks, unless the person stabbed recieves no medical care, not even from an amateur (which could be the victim himself) and subsequently bleeds to death like a moron..

So you see, kids will think a bit more before pulling out the weapon, much less USING it, if it was a handgun as opposed to a knife. In the USA, we have a saying, it's "dont bring a knife to a gun fight". I guess out Western half of the country is rich in an old vigilante culture of the big boys having the handguns.

Originally posted by PeaceUk

Adults must confront thuggish young people in public, a police chief has urged.

However, many are too frightened to do so because of a fear they may have knives, said Mike Craik, head of Northumbria Police.

'When I was a kid and you were misbehaving, any adult could challenge you. I'd like to get back to that,' said Mr Craik at the launch of an anti-knife crime campaign by his force.

www.metro.co.uk... _id=34

When i worked in Police custody, the amount of adults brought in for 'assault related' charges was scary. Their crime? Confront 'yobs', get into a bit of a scrap with the feral beasties and be the one arrested.

This is BS advice from a BS Policeman who is totally insane if he even half believes his own BS. His officers will arrest, detain, and cause maximum hurt for those who 'take the law into their own hands' and actually confront this feral mess and be 'proactive'.

One thought; the police should get off their arses and do their jobs properly and be on the streets, because suprise suprise when Police are about on the streets crime falls! GASP! who ever would of thought it hey?

He needs a reality check does this little pampered princess sat in his ivory tower.

I completely agree with you.

This man seems to have no idea of the chaos and arrests that his proposal would actually cause...

Needs to get a grip, I think.

reply to post by Dan Tanna


I totally understand where your coming from, and I agree, but do you not think the public has a role to play aswell.
The police aren't supeheroes (unfortunately) and they're rarely going to be there when a crime happens.
I do think that people need to be a bit more proactive and take the streets back.
Why should we let the minority make life hard for us, the majority?
It's a question that applies to many different time periods and societies, and rather just sit around and do nothing like some people have at other times, I think we should get out and do something, if not for society, but for ourselves.

Did you read the examples that I posted about what can happen when people do that?

It makes for a worrying read and quite rightly will put many off doing what you are suggesting.

reply to post by machinegun_go_go


Let me look at them.
I don't think they'll put me off though.

I think you're dammed if you do- dammed if you don't.

We have had in the uk, many examples of what we call Have-a-go-heroes being killed, assaulted and seriously damaged for life for "confronting yobs".

I myself had a run in at the end of last year where i was threatened to go into the shop (i was just walking into) and buy alcohol for about 6-8 "kids" outside.

Of course i refused and when i tried to enter the shop i was blocked by two of these kids and tried calmly to shuffle round them but it didn't work. they continued blocking me and were becoming more hostile in their words and actions/body language.

In the end i grabbed the one who was the "mouthiest and biggest" by the throat and put him against the wall, and said to just leave me alone and clear off.
Next thing one of them pulls out a screwdriver and starts to approach me, so i started getting worried and i just thought **** it!! so i started shouting "come on then" "you want some" and other crazy things to make me seem a bit unstable....they kind of looked at each other and i started to go for them and they legged it.

The point is, this could have resulte in me being stabbed or one of them being hurt by me.
And all because i wouldn't buy underage kids alcohol???

I would not recommend this approach to everyone and i will certainly think twice before i do it again, but it's not every day you are threatened or confronted and while i'm extremely mild mannered and chilled most of the time, i have a pretty good survival instinct too, whereby i don't get all flustered in difficult situations, and will defend myself/family/friends/innocent bystanders alike all i can when i see fit.

Again, i'm all for confronting yobs but do be careful, they generally are carrying something.