Machete-wielding vigilantes patrolling a 'stockbroker belt' village

Daily Mail

Clad in balaclavas with one waving a machete, these are the self-styled vigilantes patrolling the streets of their Surrey 'stockbroker belt' village to make locals feel 'safer'.

Police hunted down the leader of the mob - calling themselves the 'Merstham Justice Squad' - after the photo appeared in a local paper.

In the menacing picture the gang of men, aged 18 to 30, looked more Northern London gangster than Neighbourhood Watch.

Masked men trawling the community with a machete, intending to hold kangaroo court justice to interrogate suspects. But is everything that straightforward?

For me, their response to the reaction of the Police speaks volumes:

The leader said he had agreed to hand in the machete. He added: 'I guess a few of the guys got a bit carried away. After my meeting I have agreed we will work with police not against them. We have ditched the balaclavas and handed in the weapon".

Whilst I am in no way condoning or supporting their actions, this to me suggests that these are not your run-of-the mill idiots who jump on the bandwagon of fear to inflict violence. These appear to be desperate and reasonable men who are - rightly or wrongly - reacting to a percieved lack of law, order and justice in their community.

I wonder whether this is what we can expect to see in the future of Blair's Britain - desperate people resorting to desperate measures?

Or do you think that this is an isolated incident of 'joe public' losing a little perspective? I'm interested in finding out what you think...

Be nice

Edit to add: What I find quite disturbing is the abundance of supportive comments at the bottom of the article. If these are considered representative of the public, it seems that many Brits are open to - if not in support of - the general public policing, judging and delivering the justice that they deem appropriate. Frightening and dangerous ground IMO

[edit on 30/1/09 by lizziejayne]

It was to be expected the police and government will not protect the public
if you are unlucky enough to become a victim of a violent crime you have more chance of being arrested than the criminal.
and in the rare case of a criminal being taken to court they are treated with kid gloves and no one serves the full sentence.

I think they were plants of the police themselves. Wow what an easy surrender. Now the vigilantes are working with the police! What a fine example. Everyone trust the police and turn in your weapons and work together like good sheeple.

reply to post by hotbakedtater


The police response was unexpectedly generous - I suppose this could be a cleverly planned reaction to harness trust from the masses. I must admit I hadn't considered that, so thank you

My personal thought had been that it was gauged to meet the general feeling (regarding crime and crime control) in the UK at the moment. However, if this was a strategy to propagate trust for the police, I'm not convinced it was the most successful idea:

For one, these are not the most convincing vigilantes - they seem to be "wannabe" vigilantes. They're reasonable, converse and listen to the advice of the police, and abandon their quest after being asked kindly by the authorities. This weakens any impact from the outset IMO.

Secondly, if the responses to the article can be considered as representative of the British public, then IMO the exercise has only served to canvass support for the vigilantes and not the Police.

[edit on 30/1/09 by lizziejayne]

reply to post by lizziejayne


As Surrey is one of the most affluent areas in the UK, let me explain what happens in these areas.

Graffiti very rarely happens, if it does the local council will remove it nearly straight away.

The roads are tree lined and detached with alarms on the houses, your next door neighbour will be a Lawyer or a Judge or someone on the street will certainly be. Stockbrokers and such like.

Large indeed lodges of freemasons.

Members of the local Chambers, and councils, and friends of the Local Chief policeman.

Have a burglary or even just hooded youth on the street corner, make the phone call and the police will arrive within their targeted time, even for a bike theft.

5 miles down the road, lots of walls, and green spaces with locked gates at night to keep out the "commoners" and you would be lucky to get a response in the Social housing from the police within 24 hours, they probably would not even come and take prints, might be lucky if an assualt was in progress, maybe not.

There is a strange phenomena in Britain, often when arrested the most thuggish of the football hooligans turn out to be rich and well paid young men aged between 18 -30 certainly in the organisation and control of the gangs.

Maybe they thought the rest of the 95% of Britain were going to come and ak for the money back from the bankers or stockbrokers, Maybe they were bored as they cant go hunting on weekends, over the "commoners" land anymore, and smear the blood of dead fox's on young pretty blond girls riding with them as an initiation.

Maybe they want to let out there frustration that their world of Ego Male centric Alpha compete and crush behaviour is being curtailed as many of the city firms have closed down.

Cant buy a company anymore, strip the workers of the pensions, make a few hundred thousand £ in bonuses for doing it, sell it on and go and "Spunk" as they say their money up the toilet wall in the nice wine bars with £300 bottles of wine as they did.

Didnt you hear and read to?

The highest divorce rate at the moment SINCE the financial and city collapse has been amongst the most wealthy young such men, the ex-high flyers , their barbie dolls are leaving in droves now many have lost their jobs or things look shaky and are going to America to look for new millionaire husbands. The areas Surrey and the "City" (square mile)

One has to take that frustration and testosterone out on someone eh Old chap? god if I cant get a new Aston this year or hunt, or rape companies and shareholders, I think I will find some Fags or "commoners" to confront.

Just like dogs peeing on trees, they are becoming territorial.

Elf.

[edit on 30-1-2009 by MischeviousElf]

reply to post by MischeviousElf


Thanks for your reply Elf.

I think I understand what you're saying - that this is a phenomenon borne of class, wealth, boredom and a warped sense of being in control? Correct me if I am wrong

I appreciate what you're saying. However, can you clarify how you came to that conclusion? For example, is it simply because this took place in Surrey? I'm in no way saying I think you're wrong BTW, just trying to understand your reasoning.

By default, if this is what you're suggesting, it would be interesting how that translates to the overwhelming general support that is evident in the comments made on the article. Whilst these are made by Daily Mail readers, the paper is by no means exclusively read by the type of people you outlined in your post.

Look forward to discussing further

[edit on 30/1/09 by lizziejayne]

reply to [www.abovetopsecret.com...]post by LizzieJayne[/url]

One of the most glaring issues on this, is that if a couple of young such men were patrolling their "Crib" or areas in a deprived area, and one of them had a Balaclava on and others Machetes, the Police would have arrested them, and indeed they would probably have been charged with carrying such a weapon in a public place.

Though they might have real reason for wanting to do so in their area if it is deprived, as real violence and threats take place everyday.

So I see that as a marker of much double standards.

Often even subconsciously people will defer to the class/rank structure a case in point is the Army, Captains and such like in Military are followed often by footsoldiers in times of battle or perceived threat, that if they were not in that situation may be almost enemies in themselves.

But how you interpretated what I said I what i meant, the Control behaviours and drives of such a socio economic class in areas such as these, is often used to channel and direct the pent up frustration in other classes to do the bidding of the leaders, though this is not happening in this case on the ground, it can be seen in the support that these guys got.

There is much across the whole of the socio economic classes anger at what is happening with the global collapse, and this makes people want to get territorial, to extend their locus of perceived control, to find something a scapegoat "out there" to blame.

In essence what worries me most about this is as history teaches us with all other such world changing events of the magnitude going on, is that these guys are just mimicking what may be forced upon us again soon, and those in the lower classes with go and do the bidding of the general's etc from areas such as these, as extrapolated up to a national level, this nationalistic and militaristic behaviour is very likely IMHO to be played out in World War very soon.

Its how the elite way above even the Surrey set have always operated, and with such feelings as anger at jobs for Italians and portugese as the strikes happening in the uK now show, and such like simmering, with the general fear at collapse that the Media is creating the buttons are being pushed and the situations being contrived to once again allow Rupert from Surrey to command Bill and John from Tower Hamlets into battle.

For a couple of summers when younger A family member had a hotel next to Hyde Park in Surrey, for nearly two entire summer holidays I lived there, and saw experienced the lifestyle, people and such like. I see no reason except sociological and psychological for these Surrey guys to be doing this, crime is very low indeed, immigration is not an issue as in other areas, and amenities and services environment is very good indeed.

Kind Regards,

Elf

reply to post by MischeviousElf


I agree with you in terms of the double standards. It seems somewhat ironic to be championing the dangers of knife crime with one hand, whilst using the other to shake the hand of a machete-wielding chap

With the deluge of fright-inducing propaganda the UK seems to have been subjected to, I did wonder whether the Police action (or lack thereof) was a purposeful strategy - intended to condition the "joe average" middle-class into thinking they can indulge in such behaviour with little or no consequence. The ultimate intention of this I wouldn't like to presume, but it certainly got my little grey cells on overtime.

Your psychological driver perspective is very interesting. I just hope that your theory is wrong - if you're right we'll no doubt start to see a lot more and worse.

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