Is there anybody out there who has ever smashed the glass in bus shelters because i would like to no what they get out of it.
This morning i saw another shelter with 3 pains smashed to smitherenes. Why do they do it? is it because they are bored or what. Any feedback would be welcolm

its because theyv no money etc blah blah etc
funny thing is they have plenty of money to buy there trainers andd caps what go the wrong way round ho ho

Mindless yobs who have no respect for anything or anyone.

I see this type of thing on a regular basis.

Ok I'll admit it - I've done it when I was younger (we're talking over 10 years ago here). I suppose we used to do it as there was absolutely sod all else to do so we'd smash a window, get chased and get a little adrenaline rush from it. What you've got to realise is there really is nothing to do on most estates so kids resort to anything to keep them occupied. I'm not proud of it but **** happens.

As for kids having money to buy caps, trainers etc. you'll probably find their parents bought them for the majority.

saying there was nothing to do is a bit of a cop out ...theres loads to do theres ponds forge youth clubs etc ...

Originally posted by panda79
saying there was nothing to do is a bit of a cop out ...theres loads to do theres ponds forge youth clubs etc ...

Which cost money that lots of people don't have. On top of that Ponds Forge isn't on a housing estate is it?! Let me guess, you never did anything wrong as a child???

The bus shelters at herries road opposite the tesco are reguarly vandalised surely the authorities could replace the glass with a stronger material.

no fnky i was a good lad not a yob .... as for saying it costs money to get into ponds forge etc well it ds cost money to get in these places arnt charities maybe if the parents spent some money on ther kids entertainment rather than gettin the latest trainers etc we wouldnt have as many yobs on the street common sense really

Originally posted by MARTINO 1
The bus shelters at herries road opposite the tesco are reguarly vandalised surely the authorities could replace the glass with a stronger material.

Funny you should say that - I remember when bus shelters used to be made from stone. Why did they replace them all with glass ones?

The reason that people smash them up is this: They are stupid, ignorant yobs who need locking up.

I moved to Sheffield from Guildford about 6 months ago. There was a bus shelter I used to pass daily in Guildford that was smashed every morning when I went by, then repaired by the time I got home at the end of the day.

This went on for about 3 months, and I can't imagine how much it cost to replace the glass each day. However, finally after three months it was replaced with a plexi-glass (plastic alternative). It was then no longer smashed.

It reminded me of some kind of lab-rat expirement. Let's attach cheese to electrodes, and see how long it takes before they stop eating the cheese.

I live in Longley and they are just puttin two bus shelters up almost on my doorstep.
One has gone up and the other is well, lets say about to go up despite angry protests from the occupants of the houses that they stand.
I don't think yobs will break the glass on these as there surrounded by only housing rather than the ones up at the Tesco which are vandalised regular due to the close proximaty of the Devonshire pub and chip shop where the louts hang out.
Mind you though i'm not saying the local house owners won't smash them as there not amused.

Originally posted by rlloyd
I moved to Sheffield from Guildford about 6 months ago. There was a bus shelter I used to pass daily in Guildford that was smashed every morning when I went by, then repaired by the time I got home at the end of the day.

This went on for about 3 months, and I can't imagine how much it cost to replace the glass each day. However, finally after three months it was replaced with a plexi-glass (plastic alternative). It was then no longer smashed.

It reminded me of some kind of lab-rat expirement. Let's attach cheese to electrodes, and see how long it takes before they stop eating the cheese.


If you don't mind me asking - where in Canada are you from ?

Lindsey :)

Originally posted by Andy
The reason that people smash them up is this: They are stupid, ignorant yobs who need locking up.

Ok - have you ever stopped to think about the real reasons why kids do it?

The reason why they do it is not the point really. There is no valid reason for it at all.

Where I live the kids smash the bus shelters on a regular basis. They do it in full view of houses and of people walking or driving past. They don't care a bit about getting caught because nothing will happen to them even if the police got them.

Some may say they do it becuase they are bored, have nothing to do etc...well awwww didums...poor little johnny doesn't have anything to do so it's perfectly acceptable for him to demoralise the people by vandalising the area they have to live in.

They need some harsh discipline, not do gooders providing them with excuses for their behaviour. Just a little note I want to make. The council recently put up a new play area for the kids, do you know what the kids did last week? tried to burn it down.

I know what I'd do with them if they were my kids, and it certainly wouldn't be to buy them a new games consoles, brand named trainers and designer clothes!!!

I aggree fully with what you say Steelblade, its high time these vandals where punished.
However the point still arises that there is not a lot to do for youngsters theses days and with the 21st century upon us its time something was created for this age group to spend there spare time.

I'm no do gooder and your right that this is no excuse for there behavour but I don't know how old you are but i'm 44 and as a kid we made our own amusement by playing street games.
Todays youngsters do not do this anymore and perhaps its no longer cool to do so, i don't know but if kids today wanted to take up computers, drama, or anything creative there are opertunities (excuse mispelling) out there to do so.

The world does not owe them a pass time, its up to them to find it and if they really look its out there waiting for them.

The problem is that children don't even think about consequence. There was a programme about this on the BBC with Robert Winston. He had some kids and sat them a room on their own with their favourite sweets in front of them and said:

"If those sweets still there when I get back, I'll give you twice as many of them."

However, something like 90% of the kids ate the sweets before he got back... so they didn't get any more.

I know it's a different situation, but the problem was to do with their brain. They'd not yet learnt about consequence so they simply lived for the moment.

I guess some of these kids who vandalise things don't think about consequence, so just smash the bus shelters anyway...

Then again - maybe they really are just ignorant idiots. :loopy:


I guess the initial point I was trying to make is that sometimes people do things because of genuine problems with their brain that they can't help. I doubt this is always the case, but it's unfair to brand all people who do something with the same brush.

Originally posted by steelblade
The reason why they do it is not the point really. There is no valid reason for it at all.

No it's exactly the point - if you know why the kids do it then you can take actions to prevent them doing it again. Having done it myself I know why I did it and what could have prevented me. But you obviously know better.

Originally posted by fnkysknky
...I know why I did it and what could have prevented me... OK, tell us then.

Originally posted by fnkysknky
if you know why the kids do it then you can take actions to prevent them doing it again.

Locking them up would also prevent them from doing it again.

Yeah lock every kid up who's ever done anything wrong - that'll sort it. Schools would be a bit empty though... :loopy:

It basically comes down to having nothing to do. Kids have a lot of energy - they need to do something to pass the time. Take my old estate Gleadless for example - there is absolutely nothing to do for the kids. There's a park that is full of smack heads and has been left to fall apart over the years. Most of the time our best form of entertainment was messing about on the old aerodrome until the police moved us on. When you get a group of bored kids together they will try anything to give them some entertainment - it starts off with playing 'knock-a-door run' etc. and gradually raises to things like bricking bus stops... I'm not trying to make excuses, I know what I did was wrong but saying things like lock 'em all up is going to get you nowhere. Take time to find out why there are doing it in the first place.

I have done yobbish things when i was younger, i never got caught or chastised but grew up to be a pillar of the community in many way. The most intelligent people i know were trouble when they were kids. Boredom at school and they caused problems, boredom at home and they did.

I am not saying it's always the case, but kids who are rampant can often be under challenged. Some are just poor and have little else to do apart form sitting in with parents they don't like.

A bored kid will resort to many things to kill time; drugs, yobbish behaviour, burning things what ever the kid is inclined to do.

The problem is FAR more complex than just saying you should beat it in to kids. There are many scared adults out there who have many social skills problems because the only solution they were bothered to think of is punishment. A kid that is so unruly you have to beat him all the time, is a kid that has already been failed by his parents. You have to break the cycle.

And i know the parents (failed imo) will come on and flame me saying you don't have kids, you don't know, some kids will not learn. I am sorry i don't agree, most kids are born the same, they are taught or miss taught and they will react to their surroundings. There is no such thing as a bad baby, it amazing how many of those fundamentally good babies are little terrors by the time they reach school. Nurture is the main factor in unruly kids in my opinion. Yes some kids may have underlying genetic differences that cause them to have less of an attention span, or have less impulse control other normal kids may have. But there are FAR better ways of dealing with that. IMO quiet a few parents today are lazy, they look for a quick fix, a slipper or a hand, when they only have to resort to that slipper from their own failings as a parent.

Originally posted by fnkysknky
It basically comes down to having nothing to do. Kids have a lot of energy - they need to do something to pass the time.

What's wrong with playing football or riding a bike?

Perhaps we should round up all the kids who smash up bus shelters and blow up cars with fireworks because they're bored and give them somthing to do. They could pick up litter and repair the vandalised park. They wouldn't be able to complain they were bored then.

Originally posted by Andy
What's wrong with playing football or riding a bike?


You try playing football tonight at 6pm when it's dark...

Originally posted by fnkysknky
You try playing football tonight at 6pm when it's dark...

You're right, it's impossible.

Instead, I'll come round to your house and put a firework through the letter box. That'll be funny won't it?

I don't think you will find these kids saying they are bored. People are offering that up as a reason THEY did it, and they are working that out after they have grown up.

We have laws that say parents are responsible for their kids till the ages of 16 for a very good reason.

We should find these kids and fine their parents. But we really need to start with the parents earlier so they don't let their kids get to the age of 14 without dealing with their issues. The parents are the problems, not the kids, not the teachers, not the police.

The parents will say 'you cannot be their all the time'. No you can't by the age of 14 your mistakes have already nurtured a kid who will try to deceive you. Will tell you he is one place when he is another. Beating a kid will only encourage him to LIE TO YOU. If you beat him if he comes home drunk, he will not call you when he is drunk and is in control of his car later in life. You have to be open with your children. There was a campaign in America that encouraged parents to let there kids know that if they are drunk and have their car with them the parent should make it clear to their kids that they will not be in trouble if they call up. The parent will pick them up and there will be no talking to. That is intelligent parenting, the kid should not feel like he will get chastised when he calls, or he will just drive home and try to get away with it. As a result they have far less teenage deaths due to drink driving. Which way do you think is best?

If you beat your kid and he is offered drugs, he can't come home and speak to his parents about it. So what does he do? When you create a culture of fear in your child he will OBVIOUSLY turn to his peers for information and guidance on the things he feels he cannot talk to you about.

I would like to see some stats on parents who beat kids, i would bet that they also don't spend any time talking to their kids on their level. I bet they know nothing about their children, who they are with, what they are doing. They rely on punishment AFTER wrong is done. Totally the wrong way round and very irresponsible as parents.

A kid must know it can talk to it's parents about ANYTHING.

Originally posted by Andy
You're right, it's impossible.

Instead, I'll come round to your house and put a firework through the letter box. That'll be funny won't it?

Try it...

If someone did put a firework through your letter box, what would you do?

You still haven't said how you'd solve the problems of yobbish behaviour.

Originally posted by back2basics
The parents will say 'you cannot be their all the time'. No you can't by the age of 14 your mistakes have already nurtured a kid who will try to deceive you. Will tell you he is one place when he is another.It's unfair to say this.

What if a well-behaved child makes some new "friends" at school? The child might always have been well behaved and able to talk the his/her parents about everything. However, one day they get involved with the wrong crowd. At time goes on, they start to get more involved. After a while peer pressure kicks in and "smash" - another bus shelter gone! :o

You have to remember that in this day and age, many kids spend more time with their mates (i.e. 6 - 7 hours a day) than they do their parents (i.e. 3 - 5 hours a day). So, who do you think has a greater effect on their lives...? Yep - it's their mates, of course!

I know that if every parent was a "good" parent then there wouldn't be a problem at all - but it's unfair to blame the child's parents when sometimes I guess you should be blaming the child's friend's parents instead... (I'm sure I could've worded that better - but try to understand what I mean!)

I dont know why kids smash up bus shelters

Is it because they spend a lot of time around them and eventually that sort of thing happens?

It is because they are there? - like mountains

I have never smashed a bus shelter but I did write on a few when I was 13

Why? I struggle to remember, I think it was because it was a bit naughty and I wanted to be a bit naughty, but it was also because that was part of my habitat, my territory, and I was making my mark on it.

And I was what T020 would call "posh" when I was a kid, so it wasnt through lack of education or through poor parenting.

I think it might also have been to do with getting your peers to like you and accept you, like initiation ceremonies - "smash up this bus shelter and you can be in our gang".

It went along with spitting (boys) and smoking (girls) as I remember.

I dont know, this is guesswork, but it seems to be how I remember things happening. Bus shelter smashing up certainly has NOTHING to do with the poor sods who are going to get wet and wouldnt like standing in it. I think kids forget they exist, it is certainly not personal I dont think

Thankyou Belle - someone who knows where I'm coming from. The thing that gets me is the amount of people who seem to 'forget' what they did as a child. I can honestly say I don't know a single person who didn't do something wrong as a child.

As for how to combat the problem - give the kids something to do, somewhere safe to go. I played around on the streets as I had bugger all else to do. Sure I rode my bike and played football, I used to play at least 5 times a day but there's only so long you can play and when it's dark earlier in winter it stops you.

If someone did put a firework through my letterbox I'd break their legs. I would have expected the same back if I ever did it to someone. Same as I would have expected to be in big trouble if I got caught smashing a bus stop up.

On top of that - put plexi-glass in the bus stop and problem solved - although they do make good sledges ;)

Originally posted by Tony Ruscoe
It's unfair to say this.

What if a well-behaved child makes some new "friends" at school? The child might always have been well behaved and able to talk the his/her parents about everything. However, one day they get involved with the wrong crowd. At time goes on, they start to get more involved. After a while peer pressure kicks in and "smash" - another bus shelter gone! :o

You have to remember that in this day and age, many kids spend more time with their mates (i.e. 6 - 7 hours a day) than they do their parents (i.e. 3 - 5 hours a day). So, who do you think has a greater effect on their lives...? Yep - it's their mates, of course!

I know that if every parent was a "good" parent then there wouldn't be a problem at all - but it's unfair to blame the child's parents when sometimes I guess you should be blaming the child's friend's parents instead... (I'm sure I could've worded that better - but try to understand what I mean!)
I'm not sure I agree with this. Remember you can choose your friends, but not your enemies. Kids should know what type of people their 'friends' are. The reason you'd choose to be friends with someone who'd go around smashing bus shelters is because you want to be rebelious.

Originally posted by Sidla
The reason you'd choose to be friends with someone who'd go around smashing bus shelters is because you want to be rebelious.

Not true in my case. I'd been mates with them since I first met them at school and around my estate.

I just don't understand it.

Me neither :confused:

What's the avatar BTW? Does it need resizing so we can see it properly, or is it meant to be tiny?

According to one of the ninnies on tonights Question Time it is beecause the kids are socially disadvantaged and bored, they attend non performing schools on sink estates.
I do begin to wonder at times on which planet some of these speakers on QT live on!!

Originally posted by WallBuilder
According to one of the ninnies on tonights Question Time it is beecause the kids are socially disadvantaged and bored, they attend non performing schools on sink estates.
I do begin to wonder at times on which planet some of these speakers on QT live on!!
One without bustops? Where they live everybody is likely to have a jag or a 4x4 :rolleyes:

Funny how Woodhouse had an escalation of this stuff 2 years ago - one gang getting away with it led to others trying it out for size. One gang of eejits got caught on CCTV smashing up the newly refurbed station and what do you know? It all stopped. :D

Now what does that tell us? :confused:

Similar threads merged.

How long has Woodhouse station had CCTV camera's? A few years ago when the main building was an empty shell I used to nip down the side of it and go to the loo, I was trying to teach the dogs to go to the loo in out of the way places honest!!
Woodhouse had police CCTV camera's up in the village to catch the kids who were constantly trying to break into the old co-op building or the empty shops. The local bobby had to show footage to parents who were gobsmacked at seeing what their little 'angels' had been getting up to.
When Westfield, Waterthorpe and Halfway were still under construction i used to notice that the bus stops were getting trashed quite steadily the path of destruction moving out further and further from the city as time went on. I often used to wonder who on earth were the people moving onto these new estates.

Originally posted by WallBuilder
How long has Woodhouse station had CCTV camera's?
Since they did it up. They're the sort that look like oversized streetlights

I can honestly say I don't know a single person who didn't do something wrong as a child.

I remember knocking on someones door and running away.
I did need councilling afterwards though, or i would have cracked up with all the guilt.

I remember the bus shelter that used to stand across from the area housing office next to Chaucer school on Wordsworth Ave.
It was regularly damaged and I even saw a couple of grown men walking off with the whole perspex or glass windows that had been left for fitting. They walked across Buchanan Rd and disappeared behind the shops.

One day they might just invent a bus shelter that hits back!

The church my wife attends has recently been the victim of window smashers.
Although we are not talking stained glass we are talking very big, very expensive panes. And 3 panes.

Which means much of the monies raised recently for certain charities may have to be diverted to cover the cost of replacement.



Nice one Chavs.

You dont need money to enjoy yourself. 'We have nothing to do' is the crap that do gooders come up with. There is no excuse I was brought up in a poor area (pitsmoor) I never smashed a shelter. Zero tolerance is the order of the day. Police/courts are soft.

Originally posted by WallBuilder
According to one of the ninnies on tonights Question Time it is beecause the kids are socially disadvantaged and bored, they attend non performing schools on sink estates.
I do begin to wonder at times on which planet some of these speakers on QT live on!!

The only reason these schools are 'non-performing', and the estates are 'sink' estates, is because of these lowlifes being there. Without these scum, the problems wouldn't exist.

As for society providing the means to 'entertain' these kids [most of which are 16+] you can count me out. I cater for my own three teenagers already, and they seem quite happy with what life has to offer on a council estate and at home.

Mind you, the parents of these 'poor children' might like to chip in a little to keep their cherubs happy. Maybe the fag/booze/car/bingo/fish and chip money could be used. Yes, I know, stupid idea really!!

Originally posted by Andy
Funny you should say that - I remember when bus shelters used to be made from stone. Why did they replace them all with glass ones?

I asked the Passenger Transport Executive this very question - why use glass and not a stronger material? The PET spokeswoman informed me that perspex was prone to etchings, making them unsightly. Glass allowed sight of oncoming busses for those waiting in shelters. The PET spokeswoman said they replaced vandalised glass shelters a.s.a.p., in the belief that the vandals would eventualy get tired of continually smashing the same ones.

I monitored one particular shelter that was subject to vandalism, and, to my surprise, after it was replaced several times, the vandalism stopped! Apparently the PET factor into their budget an amount for replacement glass in bus shelters.

Originally posted by fnkysknky
Which cost money that lots of people don't have. On top of that Ponds Forge isn't on a housing estate is it?!


but there's nothing to stop you doing voluntary work is there ????????? :suspect: or are you idle ?

Originally posted by Don_Kiddick
Which means much of the monies raised recently for certain charities may have to be diverted to cover the cost of replacement. I suspect it's illegal to divert funds that people have contributed to a specific cause.