hi, I'm a student in University of Sheffield. I'm working on a project about anti-social beaviour in Sheffield. The topic will be mainly focus on youth offending in local community. Is there anyone who would like make some comments on this topic? Have you ever witnessed any young people doing anti-social beaviours? Among the various genres of anti-scoial behaviours (such as vandalism, graffiti, neighborhood nuisance and so on), what bothers you most? And what do you think think young people in Sheffiled? Do you believe they are more likely to commit anti-scoail behaviour? Why? Any commnets are welcomed. Thank you!

I'd say most of the anti social behaviour from kids comes down to 1) boredom and 2) no respect for others. Remove either variable and the problem goes away.

I remember when I was a lad we used to hang round the shops etc cos it was the only way you could hang out with your mates- once you're old enough to sneak into boozers you do that.

I don't reckon apart from certain bits Shef is that bad for ASB. I grew up in the North West and it seems to be a lot more mellow then my end was. Oh and before you all start I have lived in other bits of Sheff than Banner Cross!

Graf don't bother me at all unless its rubbish tags, its more the "what you lookin at" crew that need sorting out.

Hope this helps your study

Boredom!!! I was the same as saifa, the only way to hang around with ya mates was to hang around the shop, and on street corners, and creating our own entertainment..

But supressing the boredom might not be the key. We had a park where we lived where the local kids could go and have a game of footy at night. But now the kids get bored of that (I did!!)..

When kids get into their teen years, they find alot of things boring, so they drink and do drugs to add a new perspective on life(makes u feel a bit grown up)!!, instead of playing football all the time..

As for the youngsters that arn't in their teens.. They see the teens doing whatever else, and notice that they seem to be having more fun doing that than playing football. So they want to get in on the act aswell.....

It's a hard problem to sort, and I pray and hope someone gets to the root of this issue......

But I don't think they ever will!!!!!

I think anti-social behaviour is all in how you look at it. I'm minded in particular of a couple of colourful characters who relieved me of my wallet only the other day. I think, the term used to describe them would be chavs. The attack took place in broad daylight by these school aged lovable rogues. My enquiry in to how the two scamps were to despose of my hard -earned cash was met with considerable violence. Some would argue that it is exactly this sort of behaviour that is turning Sheffield into a third world getto. I diagree. I was on my way to the local public house and feel that these lads saved me from ruining myself with drink. I'm a positive person and I like to view lifes events as opportunty. So thank you Lee and Daz for giving me the opportunity to taste the exquiste delights of the kitchen staff at the Northern General Hospital. If I could lift my arm I would raise a glass to you.

Funny, I'm 26, and I still find that a game of footie passes the time better than getting high (not that i ever felt the need). I wouldn't play football instead of having a saturday night drink of course.
Boredom is just an excuse, these people should be at home doing their homework, or hanging around near home not troubling anyone. A lot of the blame I would direct at the parents, children brought up correctly know the difference between right and wrong and the consequences of doing wrong.

Originally posted by NotoriousBIG
Boredom!!! I was the same as saifa, the only way to hang around with ya mates was to hang around the shop, and on street corners, and creating our own entertainment..

But supressing the boredom might not be the key. We had a park where we lived where the local kids could go and have a game of footy at night. But now the kids get bored of that (I did!!)..

When kids get into their teen years, they find alot of things boring, so they drink and do drugs to add a new perspective on life(makes u feel a bit grown up)!!, instead of playing football all the time..

As for the youngsters that arn't in their teens.. They see the teens doing whatever else, and notice that they seem to be having more fun doing that than playing football. So they want to get in on the act aswell.....

It's a hard problem to sort, and I pray and hope someone gets to the root of this issue......

But I don't think they ever will!!!!!

I agree cyclone..... It is the parents responsibility... which is why I turned out better than what I could have....

So it's about time the Me, Me, Me, Brigade lerned some respect.

Originally posted by Trekker
So the Me, Me, Me, Brigade
Do you know where there Headquarters are I am interested in joining.

This is an issue I think about a lot...
Go anywhere and there's a chance you'll be exposed to anti-social behaviour. It seems to be endemic now throughout society.
What can we do? I haven't a clue...
On an individual level you can conduct a one-man campaign against these buggers. I've done my share of shouting at gangs of youths vandalising things and a couple of times chased young guys I saw damaging cars.
This sort of approach is, I guess, necessary, but inevitably it feels like a losing battle...I once challenged a guy on a bus over his behaviour only to be gleefully threatened by about eight of his mates...and anyway, even if I could physically take action the law is definately against me...a couple of colleagues have ended up with criminal charges for trying to stem loutishness.
None of my kids were thugs, I think I probably pointed out too many times that the chavs you see hanging around shops usually end up going right down the toilet...
I have grown very cynical now about life in the UK. I grew up on a council estate and often felt bored but, oh, what is it with these idiots today?
Basically - and I'm making a huge generalisation here - the more affluent the area in which you live, the fewer instances of anti-social behaviour you'll experience. Cue lots of responses about how Dore and Totley are in the grip of street crime but I know where I'd choose to enjoy an early autumn evening stroll tonight.
This of course means in some respects that I am anti-social! I don't want to see, hear, smell anyone other than people with the same social values as myself...

I don't think that there is anything new about anti-social behaviour other than the name. Just as NotoriousBIG says when we were younger we used to hang around shops and street corners and it was rare that anyone thought anything about it, now with all the publicity people immediately think kids are up to no-good.

These days many parents either haven't the time or inclination to care for, educate and discipline their children. These same children are used to stimulating things, Gameboys, TV etc and usually have what looks like a pretty bleak future and no FREE recreational facilities. I've talked to these kids and the vast majority feel persecuted and uncared for.

I work for a community organisation who are engaging with the kids in the area. We want them to create their own subcommitte and make decisions on what sort of things they would like in their area, we will then try to raise the money and make these a reality. We're also trying to start up some football teams and have regular practice sessions, we have had kids of both sexes express and interest in this from 5 years old into their early twenties. We've also had kids asking us to start a youth club so that they'll have something to do.

Many communities no longer have a community spirit and these kids don't feel as though they belong. If we try to show that they are valued and include them then I think we can turn things around.

However if your one of the 'lock them up' and throw away the key brigade then god help us because these kids are on the increase and will be adults before too long.

:mad: I don't think you can totally blame the teenagers for the bulk of anti-social behaviour. We have neighbours who are 21 and 27 respectively and they cause us some right grief. They have lots of visitors from 13 to 50 and 95% of them are idiots. We have a grassed area beside our and their property, which they have claimed theirs. They gather there swearing, kicking footballs about ( at peoples windows/cars etc ) litter, dump household rubbish e.g. doors, wood, tyres, toys, clothes. They have BBQ's on there, fix cars, motorbikes, drug deal, fight, allow their dog to foul, the list is endless.

When I was a youth we had youth clubs. We have one where we live 3 times per week. At the youth club they can play games, football, Playstation, listen to music. The kids today are more grown up than we were and have more sophisticated tastes. It's not hip to be good or go to the yoofy - well not for most. It's more interesting starting fires, robbing pensioners, smashing windows, nicking cars, tearing about on motorbikes, getting ****** and smoking dope. I work in a secondary school and I know what they get up to - I hear their tales every day.

The answer I think lies with society and the media. Television, magazines and the like, brainwashing kids into thinking they have to have it all: Rockport shoes, Nike trainers etc, at what ever cost - literally. Credit is easy to come by for parents and carers and they use it. Parents are under a lot of pressure from their kids ( not me though ) to provide them with it all. I think they feel they are bad parents if they don't.

There is one boy, who shall remain nameless who I know, who is spoilt to death by his parents, best of everything, including gold jewelry ( at 12 ) school trips snowboarding and he's a rude obnoxious little s*** who plays all of the teachers up and refuses to work because he gets away with it at home.

Home is where we need to teach our kids morals, respect and curtesy.

Does anyone agree?

Originally posted by missb
:mad:
Home is where we need to teach our kids morals, respect and curtesy.

Does anyone agree?

Sure that must be a typo..glad I never had to bow and scrape to my parents like that!

Agree totally missb :thumbsup:

Any parent who allows their kids to dictate how a home is run and how much should be spent on them (when they can't afford it) due to media pressure is a very weak person indeed, and obviously a lousy parent. Still, if it keeps little Sam out of their hair and on the street corner annoying others, what the hell.:mad:

:loopy: For threecolours - it's not about bowing and scraping it's about respect.

i think he's referring to the difference between courtesy and curtsey.

Cheers for that Cyclone...yes just my 'attempt' at a bit of light-hearted humour! You're wrong about the 'he' bit though...

Well.. Yes it is down to the parents. Most let their kids run amock and don't do sod all about it. A family that we have had many problems with. We though that a police visit would sort it out. Nope. The endless amount of time spent dealing with theise peices of trash has mounted up so much. They soon after got their friends and those were causeing **** aswell. The last straw... was the motor bike. riding down the street back and forth evry 5 mins on the path. they were taking it in turns.

what makes all this worse is that sheffield police are total ****e. it took so much to even get them to deal with those peices of trash. On the bike, with no licence, no licence plate, no tax, no insurance and riding on a path. Eventually we had our victory. The bike was took off them. On that day all the little peices of **** gathered outside. all dressed the same.

still waiting on what they will pull next. the new gen of kids is gonna bring the contry down. its all screwd.

The govt. have to carry a lot of responsibilty for the anti-social behaviour problem. It's all very well finding the money and resource to treat the symptoms...ie ASBOs and evictions, but they have done virtually nothing to tackle the causes of the problem.

There seems to be a small core of poor, badly educated, and socially deprived families in our society who get stuck in the same rut from one generation to the next. In a couple of recent TV documentaries about the problem the complaint of most of the parents interviewed was that there was just no support for them, - punishments aplenty, but help and encouragement to change...zilch.

OK, - so these parents have failed to instill respect for authority and other people into their kids, but evicting them just moves the problem elswehere. What they and their kids really need is re-educating which obviously more time consuming and expensive than just sending the bailiffs in.

I'm not totally against ASBOs, but they're a bit like treating MRSA with anti-biotics, and are wide open to abuse by spiteful and vindictive neighbours.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but things seem to have started getting worse since they stopped dishing out the cane in schools. A quick whack on the hand with a cane or a thwack on the backside with a slipper never did anyone I know any harm and helped to teach them some respect for other people. We daren't tell our parents cos we'd cop for another clip round the earhole for our sins. If neighbours saw you doing anything wrong, it'd get back to your parents and you'd be in trouble again.

It's much too namby-pamby now.....too many do gooders buggering things up.

Must say I agree with Royal Regular, perhaps its an age thing. As a child I was brought up to know the difference between right and wrong. I was taught that if I did wrong then I was punished. At school that line of thought was reinforced with punishment in the form of the slipper at junior school and the cane on the bum or detention at grammar school. But it taught me that doing wrong led to something unpleasant. All the way through adolescence into adulthood there was a deterrant. Unfortunately the punishment side has been forced to be diluted to an almost laughable level by the people who think they're doing good but who are responsible for creating a generation who have no respect, and who know of no deterrant to behaving badly. To create responsible adults you first have to make them responsible as kids.

Funny you two old gaffers should bring up respect. I had both the cane and the slipper at grammar school. The cane for getting in fight with a prefect 'cos he was over-fagging [ie bullying] a friend of my younger brother, and the slipper for leaving my English homework on the bus. In both cases the masters administering the punishment lost my respect because they were unjust and couldn't deal with the problem without resort to violence.

In fact very few of the masters ever used cane or slipper in class, they earned our respect by showing us respect. OTOH I have to say that when I was at school teaching was more a vocation than just a job...perhaps parentimg should be too.

My father neither used nor threatened violence to any of us kids and my mother never did after we were out of the toddler stage.

The kind of respect you earn by enforcing authority with violence is generally fear and even hatred....violence begets violence.

Sorry Greybeard but I have to disagree. Violence doesn't necessarily beget violence. My dad gave me a clip when I deserved one, so did my mum. I had and have the greatest respect for them. I didn't really respect the teachers who used the cane any less than those who didn't, but I learned that if I did wrong I was punished. That can't be said of schools today when the kids almost have a freedom to do and say whatrever they want. If they can't learn the difference between right and wrong as kids, they won't be able to pass it on as adults. Let the schools be able to punish when its needed and you start putting things right. Apathy begets apathy

Are we getting violence and punishment mixed up here?

When we did wrong at school and got caught, we were punished. I never saw anyone attack a teacher, or anyone else for that matter, after being punished.

I loved and respected my mother and father but still expected a clip round the ear when I deserved it. It didn't change the way I felt about them.

And what about my question? Have things gone downhill since they stopped being able to slap a few arses?

I suspect they have.

Bring back the birch, that's what I say.....

And if they get caught thieving, chop their hands off!

my generation went through school without fear of corporal punishment, but it was rare to here anyone talk back to a teacher and discipline was never a problem.
So, no, I don't think there is a link between the removal as corporal punishment and a decline in discipline.
I don't know what the factor is, but it's got to be something else.

what a load of rubbish, i dont know which school u went to but as an ex governer i can assure you the school i was at had a very serious disipline prob,,,, and a primery school at that.
spare the rod and spoil the child..........................

here here, first sensable comment ive seen.................

We had soem corporal punishment at my secondary school, but what really made a punishment stick was that my parents would get to know about it and my mother would come down on me like the wrath of God..... I would have rather had a thick ear and no mention to my parents than detention and my mum getting on the case. She never hit me, but it was just the whole thing of disappointing her and the resultant anger.

I spent a number of years here in Sheffield as a School Governor and Chair of Governors and the pattern seemed to be; if the parents care about the kid, are interested in the child and such then the first time you have to see the parents is usually the last; parents and teachers and child do work together to sort stuff out, and Johnny's back on the right track.

The persistent offenders are often those whose parents don't give a ****, who can't be bothered to come in to school to talk about their kids and who frequently don't respect anything or anyone that can't give them a bloody good hiding. Kid grows up the same - that's the only time violence will help - against those who don't understand any other language and who consider the 'softly softly' or 'counselling' type approach to be a sign of weakness.

Joe

what a load of rubbish.
You admit that you know nothing about the school I went too, what generation it is i'm talking about or anything other than what i've said, but you think you know enough to say that i am wrong.

I can assure you as an ex-pupil (at the school i'm talking about, not whatever you imagined in fantasy land) that there was no problem with discipline as I said. And it was a secondary school, the primary school I went to was exactly the same, but if possible with even less problems. I never saw anybody talk back to a teacher. I suppose in that school I was one of the few kids who might receive corporal punishment as my aunt was a teacher there.

Originally posted by cheeky boy
what a load of rubbish, i dont know which school u went to but as an ex governer i can assure you the school i was at had a very serious disipline prob,,,, and a primery school at that.
spare the rod and spoil the child..........................

i have strong views on anti social behaviour i live in tinsley and i see a lot of youths doing so many bad things like, burgerly, drugs, threating residents etc etc. why cant someone do something about thm we should have like a community center for youths where they can hang out and stuff instead of on the streets.

To me the problem is now that "the kids" know that they can get away with anything. god forbid you harm any of these "loveable rogues" who go around picking on the less defensable members of society or you would get banged up quicker then they can ship a load of fake burberry hats and iron-on Von dutch t-shirts.

the suggestion of Boredom is laughable as kids today have more in the way of material things available to them then before but the "me me me" culture combined with "i want more" gives to a very selfish society who believe that everything should be handed to them on a plate and if they dont get it then they will kick out at whoever wont give it them

THERE IS NO RESPECT ANY MORE - WHY???

Because these little scrotes need a good belt round the back of the head at an early age and people in authority (police, teachers, adults in general) should be allowed to DISCIPLINE them in order to stamp it out early.

Before all the liberal do-gooders start bleating on about "human rights" and "civil liberties" let me ask you a question.

"your grandparent who lives on their own after losing their partner earlier in the year is burgled and attacked by a group of "youths" who decide that it would be fun to pick on someone who cant defend themselves and steal their belongings and hurt them to the extent that they cant return to the home they lived in for 60 years so never get a chance to say goodbye to their property as they have to move into a home and die within a year"

Now you "human rights and liberties"people look me in the eye and tell me i dont have right to take something very large and drop it on their skulls, why not? they seemd to think it was alright to. No, you would rather give them councilling or "community service" if they are old enough to actually be nicked!!

there is no fear of punishment in today's society for people who commit crimes

and yes that is a personal story so if you have an issue with it then pm me

i fink once ure in on one of the street scenes der aint no goin back.der aint no point hasslin ppl to reform wen started either. i fink u stop it all by stoppin preteens frm ever startin. how, by using the opposite3 to the the tactics clearley not workin now.

... and now in English please?


Has anyone stopped to consider that children are products of parents?

I simply believe it has more to do with parental responsibility than childhood unruliness.

The problem with taking a stand is that it puts you first in the queue for your car scratched ,your windows putting through or your head kicked in.
I dont want to sound off but its a national discipline problem.
I have no more an of idea of of the answers as anyone else.
But whatever they are we need to be trying them out on the younger kids now so its not an ongoing problem.

I think, a lot of the time, that parents lack the responsibility. They're pretty much leading their own lives and half the time want their children out of the way. They don't care what their children are doing, as long as it isn't in the home.

But then again, children have a right to a social life - and there are few places they can go where they can socialise with other children their own ages and do interesting things. Unless they're in brownies or guides or are in some kind of church group there is nothing for them that doesn't leave the parent out of pocket.

Children need to be supervised or they will run amock, but they also need to be involved with outside school projects that allow them to interact with others their own age and injects some principles and ideals into their lives as well as sparking some interest.