Anti social behaviour a pretext for British Policing

by Mother of three - Former SF Thu Jul 26, 2007 02:28

The fact is there is no organization as unsuited to tackling anti social behaviour as the police. Even if they wanted to stop it they couldnt, no conventional police force in the world has ever stopped it . I know who is breaking into my neighbours houses at night and will probably break into mine some night. So do the PSNI, in all likelyhood they are paying him / them. Yet what will they do? The provos are telling us we have to put all our faith in the PSNI, they have condemned us to a lifetime of misery. The hoods run west Belfast, the war was for nothing.

by Seaicilín F Tue Jul 31, 2007 01:59

The PSNI (the “British Military Police”) are hardly the organisation to be approaching to tackle ‘anti-social behaviour’, when they are guilty of it themselves - worse still, they have a long track record of killing and torturing and spying on people in the nationalist and republican communities - this must never be forgotten!

I believe anti-social behaviour could be tackled by people in that community coming together and organising effectively, listening to young people in the community, and collectively putting sufficient pressure on those guilty of ‘anti-social behaviour’ to quit it, while at the same time suggesting more advantageous activities they could engage in.

I believe also by investing more money in community centres and activities of interest to young teenagers/adults such as, for example: skateboarding parks, car racing tracks, graffiti art galleries, creative music centres, youth clubs with boxing/karate clubs, shooting galleries (of the legal variety), and internet/games cafés, and other types of adventure centres, to alleviate the boredom and thus significantly reduce anti-social behaviour in young adults. More green space would be an immense help also, as many young people live in much built up areas which are lacking in interesting facilities for them, and with no where to escape from the mundane unimaginative concrete environment that surrounds them, making it all too easy for them to drift into anti-social mode.

Police forces are the wrong people to approach to tackle ‘anti-social behaviour’, as their only contribution is to lock young people up, and that’s not much of a solution is it? - when young people come out of prison more angry and bitter than when they went in.

by moi Tue Jul 31, 2007 11:16

the PSNI are the police force of all the people of Northern Ireland, and as such are entitled to support?

by moi aussi Tue Jul 31, 2007 11:30

The PSNI are not the "police force of all the people" of Northern Ireland, no more than the Garda are the police force of Joe and Joan Soap in the south. They are the police force of the STATE and a tool of the political elite. You think the PSNI is a workers' militia or summit?

by Des Tue Jul 31, 2007 14:03

Seaicilín
When you say "and collectively putting sufficient pressure on those guilty of ‘anti-social behaviour’ to quit it", what type of pressure are you suggesting? Do you mean protests outside their homes and such or something more sinister like punishment beatings or threats?

by Seaicilín F Tue Jul 31, 2007 21:58

Des,

I advocate a few steps that I have witnessed work to tackle ‘anti-social behaviour’, although I’ve only seen them work effectively in smaller communities:

First step being, a surprise close encounter with the offender from the group representing the local community (and nominated by them) to confront the ‘anti-social behaviour’ offender about his/her wrongdoing and a reading out of offences (this is only to be done when the offender is alone and away from his/her 'anti-social behaviour support group') with a warning to desist from this behaviour in future in the interests of his/her own betterment and that of the whole community’s;

Second step, would be to 'Meet the Parents' and find out what the hell is going on that they are permitting their teenagers/young adults to persecute the community. If the 'Meet the Parents' meeting fails to be productive then;

the Third step would be that, everyone in the community assembles at the offender's house, preferably when s/he is there, and the community publicly announces over a loudspeaker (every victim in turn) their grievances and how the community is suffering at his/her hands and what the community would like the offender to do to resolve the situation.

Fourthly, the traditional boycott & ostracisation policy could be enforced, which would mean local shopkeepers, garages, pubs and other community service outlets agree to refuse to serve the offender until s/he puts a halt to the anti-social behaviour - this is very effective in a small community (I’ve witnessed this work some years back when I lived in my home village, and in Brittany), but it could be unrealistic/difficult in a city centre environment.

Fifthly, and as a last resort, if all the above steps fail and the messages of condemnation does not hit its target, stronger measures would be employed to force the offender to cease his/her ‘anti-social behaviour’, such as a reinforced promise of serious detrimental consequences for the offender should the offender continue attacking his/her own community.

D’fhear cogaidh comhaltar síocháin.