Study shows: Violent UK street robbers 'seek kicks'

A report, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council has brought to light something that is gaining a worrying trend in UK street crime. It is the fact that a majority of the perpetrators are committing the offences for 'kicks' or 'respect' within their gangs.



I feel that it is a sorry state of affairs in the UK regarding violent crimes and the seemingly meaningless violence committed, not for financial gain but, as it seems, for some kind of sick 'kick'. I did always assume this and now it seems to be confirmed. What do others living in the UK or visitors/those interested think of this and does it paint a true picture of your thoughts on the current, seemingly escalating (imo) 'yob culture' here?

[edit on 29-11-2006 by Xeros]

The level of violence has been increasing year upon year and is also becoming more extreme. These days "disrespecting" some idiotic juvenile can get you gunned down in the street or at home in front of your family. I find it hard sometimes to understand the mentality behind these actions.
Someone calls me names and I laugh it off and walk away, it really doesn't bother me at all and it's hardly grounds for violence.
It seems life is cheap to those inflicting violence and if they get caught then it's a bonus serving time and adds to the bad boy image.

Stanley Kubrick Was A Freakin' Prophet

This is what happens when you have too many young men wandering around with nothing better to do.

This is also where war is born: unchanneled testosterone-fueled aggression eventually becomes channeled testosterone-fueled aggression.

Ignoring or trying to explain away the problem won't make it go away.

These kids need something constructive to focus on, otherwise they will continue to turn their energy to destruction.

Just my tuppence.

Your droogs may vary.

Majic the funny thing is, that I was thinking of 'A Clockwork Orange' the whole time whilst contemplating this 'finding'. It's almost too close to the truth now. Seriously weird in a way, the predictability of society. I find it so horrible but yet a somehow strange product of our culture here in the UK. I do think that it will get alot worse before people realise the problem, yet this finding is truly beneficial. I believe that tougher sentances may be the only socialogially profitable answer though (unfortunately?). Maybe just 'get off your high horse and drink your moloko.'

This story is all over the UK news today BTW: uk.yahoo.com...

[edit on 29-11-2006 by Xeros]

Majic, I'm right with you there.

Its a fundamental part of boys make up that they need to be aggressive. If no outlet exists in everyday life they will create their own.

I remember gangs of lads when I was at school 25 years ago going out "stomping" on a Saturday night, and some of them ending up behind bars as a result. They didn't go in for robbing too much, but in those days we didn't carry ipods and mobile phones or credit cards. (And, btw, I grew up in what was considered a nice area, not some inner city slum.)

I think the main difference between now and then is that in those days boys would box, wrestle, go for the man not the ball on a rugby field. Now everything is so regulated their only outlet is violent films or playstation games.

Even my peaceloving 13 year old boy will come home from school proudly sporting a black eye telling me he was in a bundle. So I ask him why he didn't keep away from it and he tells me "It was fun, we were having a laugh!"

I don't think people change, just the world around them, and our society just doesn't provide the outlets that testosterone fuelled boys need.

Originally posted by Mayacara
Even my peaceloving 13 year old boy will come home from school proudly sporting a black eye telling me he was in a bundle. So I ask him why he didn't keep away from it and he tells me "It was fun, we were having a laugh!"

I don't think people change, just the world around them, and our society just doesn't provide the outlets that testosterone fuelled boys need.

Don't you think that the culture in the UK seems all to acceptant of these things? I'm 23 now but at 13 if I came home with a black eye, my dad would be pretty concerned. There are more outlets surely now than ever before? I feel that it seems more of a problem in our current culture, where violence is so problematic and prevalent that it becomes a 'norm' rather than other comparible western societies?
You seem to accept your sons behaviour, where does it stop?

[edit on 29-11-2006 by Xeros]

Hi Xeros, well of course I was concerned about his black eye, and I did tell him not to get involved in any more bundles, and did explain the potential for serious injury, but I wasn't concerned that he would grow up to be a hooligan or would go out seeking fights as a teenager.

I've had 4 kids and 2 stepkids aged from 32 down to 11 and 3 of those were boys. I've had hundreds of kids in an out of my home over the years and worked with late teens/early twenties for years, so you could say I've been round the block a few times!

What I've learnt from that is that if they grow up in a non-violent home, where everybody treats everyone else with respect, where there is discipline and love, they learn that violence isn't the answer to anything.

But they will still tussle with their sisters, play fight with their Dad, wrestle with their mates on the lawn, and through that they will get rid of their aggression, and also learn that fighting hurts.

I believe that this is something most boys just need to do. Its normal.

As kids get into their late teens early twenties I think they need something to channel this aggression into - and I believe that is what's lacking in our society.

Cheers

50 arrests?

And they're still on the streets?

Guess you have to watch out for that 51st arrest....

Here in the good ole U.S. of A. we have our share of gang problems as well - the majority in the ghettos and slums. However, we've noticed an increase in youth violence in all facets of society. One thing that was done in the stae of Ohio was called Concealed Carry. This allows any law-abiding citizen who can pass a rigorous background check by police and complete a safety course to carry a hand gun - a CONCEALED handgun. The bonus is that no one knows who's packing. It makes these little hoodlums think twice before going after someone. Violent crime, as a result, is down in the state of Ohio. I carry a concealed handgun and I wouldn't hesitiate to use it if I had to!

Im on my 4th offense for Common Assault and im only 14 and in UK, thing is do i care

This thread reminds me of another thread we had here a long while back that had a link to a video showing these UK gangbangers just going up to innocent people on the street and kicking the hell out of them for no reason. Even old ladies were being targeted.

It really pissed a lot of people off.

Peace

Like kozmo said there is a cure for this. Try this crap in my area and you have a good chance of ending up in a casket. I've had a conceled carry permit since I was 21 and I do carry. The biggest problem is the lack of a defined self-defence law. This is usually left up to the DA's descretion. I have seen a total swing in how self-defence is interpreted. Several years ago a man was slashed across the throat by some punk out to rob him. He drew his weapon and killed the robber. The DA brought him up on charges of Manslaughter because he didn't try to escape before shooting him. Fortunately the Jury laughed the DA out of court. I think they took 60 seconds to reach a verdict of not guilty. This cost the DA his job in the next election. The current DA is a bit more lenient in his interpretation. The UK needs to reconsider it's position on weapons for self defence.

Originally posted by Galiega
Im on my 4th offense for Common Assault and im only 14 and in UK, thing is do i care

Hey Galiega - try that over here and you'll get a hot lead injection! If your mum had any sense, she'd take you over her knee and whack the hell out of you! Do you think your cool? Beating up on old women and helpless people? Why not try that with some strapping man - probably because he'd knock the snot outta ya! I would! I'd beat you until you were crying like the little sissy that you are!

I come from a rough neighbourhood in the UK and we have sporadic trouble all the time with violence and street robbery. When something happens in my street or close by some of my neighbours more often than not old folk seem to know everybody who lives in my area, they soon put a name to a face and then an address.

This usually results in one or two of us going around to have a quiet word with their parents, half of the time the parents are fu@*!n low life so at this point they accept what we have to say or we threaten them i.e. 'if i see or hear your kids throwin bricks at peoples houses again i'll do the same to your house'.

Its not big its not clever, and i take no satisfaction from it, but it works very very well.(it helps if your 6'4" btw)

We don't even bother reporting a crime to the police anymore as there not interested in catching these people.

Oh Galiega sounds like your learning the hard lesson and you don't even know it yet. I wish i could help you but i think you had better make this mistake on your own. Wait till your at the Young Offenders Institution you'll be crying for your mummy evry nite, or you could always kill yourself and do us all a favour.

[edit on 29-11-2006 by aspectwarrior]

Originally posted by kozmo

Originally posted by Galiega
Im on my 4th offense for Common Assault and im only 14 and in UK, thing is do i care

Hey Galiega - try that over here and you'll get a hot lead injection!

If your mum had any sense, she'd take you over her knee and whack the hell out of you! Do you think your cool? Beating up on old women and helpless people? Why not try that with some strapping man - probably because he'd knock the snot outta ya! I would! I'd beat you until you were crying like the little sissy that you are!

I do not think i am cool, i was just saying somthing approiate for this thread, i some times have trouble with seeing what is wrong and right...
I do not beat up old women though nor helpless people, i just ussly get frustfrated with the type of people go around beating up old women, and they come up too me and push me, so i have tendency to hit them..., or once instance throw somthing as angry, it hit some one, and i get charged for wrecklessness....

Here's a related story where a woman is threatened and harassed while riding the tubes, and after getting off at her stop. It seems that the young men in question didn't want to rob her, only to threaten and harass her. Just for kicks as stated here in this discussion. She took his photo is is trying to get help locating this fellow.

I am slightly miffed

The kid in the picture above doesn’t look very harmful, right? He’s reasonably well-dressed, anyway. But actually, he is quite a large fellow, and likes to assault random women with the help of an equally vile friend of his.

Not many criminals look harmful if you think about it though....