Teenager injured in savage street attack
Thursday 6th August 2009, 3:00PM BST.
The teenager was attacked on Mulcaster Street. Chambers was closed at the time.
A TEENAGER was in hospital today after being savagely attacked as night-time violence returned to the streets of St Helier.
The 19-year-old suffered serious face and head injuries, including severe damage to an eye, after being assaulted in Mulcaster Street at about 1.45 am.
Police believe that the man’s eye injuries may have been caused by being struck by a shoe.
Two 16-year-old girls have been arrested in connection with the attack and were in police custody this morning awaiting questioning. A man believed to be aged 19 who was wearing a light blue T-shirt is still being hunted by police.
Anyone with information is asked to telephone the police on 612612 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Where were the police, Mulcaster street is usually crawling with them at that hour, is there no cctv footage?
How many more people are going to be hurt before something is done, what will it take a death?
Give these thugs 20 lashes and see if they re offend.
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Is it not high time that the vast silent majority of this island stand up and DEMAND of our politicians that we are sick and tired of the levels of anti-social behaviour on our streets. I will gladly pay more tax to build a new prison if this is what we need.
Have these savages sweep the streets in brightly coloured bibs with their crime printed on their shirts. Then at night lock them up in a borstal with no games rooms and no TV.
Lets start respecting the human rights of those of us who want to live in peace and safetly. Thugs don’t deserve any rights.
Come on Sen. Le Marquand. We voted you in to sort this out. Please don’t let us down!
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Matt G: It’s not a new prison thats needed as this sort of thing shouldn’t happen in the first place. 16 year olds girls out on the street late at night is a big no no, they should be at home, once again this smacks of lack of parental discipline and my belief is that the parents are equally to blame for this assault and should be brought to task.
I hope the young man makes a full recovery and that these girls are punished severely for their anti social actions and don’t just get their hands slapped by the Juvenile panel.
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Jersey is so rough and coarse these days. Any linkage with the finance driven bubble we have been through since turn of the century? It’s sucked in all and sundry and distorted peoples’ values and we beans have worshipped mamon more than in the past. The cold wind of a recession might bring some unexpected benefits as we remember what matters.
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Matt,
Remember Mrs. Beeton’s advice, “First catch your hare, then cook it.”
Advocating draconian punishments is simply a tacit admission that we are not catching enough offenders.
Indeed you and I could agree to bring back hanging for all arrestable offences but it would do nothing to help reduce crime unless more effort is put into detection and prevention.
This can mean more CCTV and Police Patrols (which tend to serve as more of a preventative measure in terms of violent crime).
It can also mean working more closely with licensed premises to ensure they don’t serve obviously intoxicated people and minors (in fairness the article doesn’t say that the minors involved were drinking).
While the man in question had every right to walk down the street and not expect to be attacked in principle, it also might be wise to promote more safety awareness. I would suggest not venturing out alone at night, staying in large groups if possible and staying in more brightly lit areas.
N.
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Why oh why isn’t the message getting through to parents about knowing where their children are?
Can ANYONE tell me how 2 16yr old girls are on the streets at 2 am?
Have to say I agree with Matt G. It would save Constable Crowcroft a fortune in street cleaners too!
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Am flying to Jersey at the weekend for three weeks to visit family…….will not be letting my two teenage children out of my sight…I grew up on Jersey and have to say that this will be my very last visit…its a shame for my mum not to see her grandkids again after this visit …shell have to visit us but because of ill health this will probably not be….clean up your act Jersey! No wonder the visitors are not coming in droves anymore.
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Well I think that as these 2 girls are only 16, that we should realize that they are the real victims.
I think that the time has come that the criminal justice system does something radical!
How about the judge giving them a jolly good telling off, and warning them not to be naughty again.
That should stamp out the problem.
what’s that you say? We already do that?
I stand corrected…….
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Judging by the sentiments expressed in the first two comments, one could easily think that Jersey justice had been replaced by mob rule.
Instead of demanding a lynching, let’s get the Police on the job to find the people responsible, bring them before the courts and let the Bailiff hand down judgment.
I am no supporter of the current Bailiff (or his predecessor, come to that) but he IS the island’s chief justice.
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When will the authorities address this issue of rising crime and make a statement to re-assure the public that measures are being taken to prevent it?????
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Yet more violence on the streets of St. Helier followed by yet more debate on what the police should or shouldn’t do.
The States of Jersey Police have to cover 45 square miles, not just the town. It is all very well to criticise the police, but we don’t know what other commitments they had, at the time of this nasty assault. We can only speculate, but they could have been dealing with other incidents, or be involved in a pre-planned operation.
On this occasion they have made two arrests and have a lead that will hopefully result in the arrest of the male allegedly involved.
Yes there probably is CCTV footage, but it is sometimes quite hard to do an identification from on street cameras. Give the cops a chance – I am certain all those involved in the investigation will want a good result, which I know they are capable of.
Hopefully Police Superintendent Shaun Du Val will be looking at how he can deploy more officers to prevent, or at least reduce the amount of violence on the Island’s streets.
I am certain the cops will feel hurt by all the criticism they are getting from the public and will want to get it right. I know that is how I would have felt.
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‘Jersey is so rough and coarse these days. Any linkage with the finance driven bubble we have been through since turn of the century? It’s sucked in all and sundry and distorted peoples’ values and we beans have worshipped mamon more than in the past. The cold wind of a recession might bring some unexpected benefits as we remember what matters.’
This has nothing to do with the recession! Its just society, you only need to look how this type of incident happens up and down the streets of the UK these days – in areas that certainly do not have a finance industry.
What I want to know is why 16 year old girls are so viciously attacking people!
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When will people stop blaming the authorities and start looking at what is going on within families? Sixteen year old girls should not be out at 2am let alone in the middle of town and more importantly should, if parents and society are doing their jobs properly, know right from wrong. It sounds like these families, not just the girls need some support here as this is a pivotal point in these girls’ lives.
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#6 & 10, totally!
It’s great that Jersey has the ‘Your kids, your responsibility’ advert on radio… it’s needed in the UK. For once someone is putting the onus back on society rather than the authorities.
Still I think the justice system in general is the main problem when it comes to policing. The police must get so frustrated sometimes with catching people that nothing happens to.
As for the parents of these 16-year old girls, if they have any thoughts that there was nothing wrong with their girls being out at that time of night then they should count themselves lucky that the situation was not reversed! Their girls could easily have been the victims of a much worse crime.
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why anyone goes out in jersey anymore I don’t know. if you don’t end up broke spending money on over priced drinks or lapse into a coma of boredom at the same old clubs you get stabbed or beaten up on the way home.
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Anti-social behaviour, don’t make me laugh. To these kids it’s a blood sport to be enjoyed by only them. We as society need to send out a message to these individuals that this kind of behaviour can’t be tolerated in any way what so ever. I also agree with Angered, what the hell is 2 16 year old girls doing out on the street at 1:45am in today’s life cycle. Not only should we punish them (as harshly as possible) but also the parents because as a father myself I would be morally destroyed if the police came knocking at my door to say that they had arrested my daughter for a similar offence. I think that the judicial system should allow for crimes like this that can be substantiated should be tried by royal court & a jury, regardless of the age of the defendants. Lets name & shame them as well as parents 1, for there stupidity & 2, for their lack of parental control. Bring back the birch!!!
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Further to my previous comment I don’t blame the police but I do think that the judicial system needs a serious wake up call, I mean just because the so called offenders are 16 years of age does anyone think they will be dealt with the same as if it was a man in his 20’s.
Come courts let’s get it right, harsh crime, harsh punishment regardless of age.
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This is worse than racism, how dare you think of punishing these girls, its against their human rights to punish them.
Theres a two sided story, little kids having too few rights in haut de la garane case, and the obvious fact that little kids have far too many rights e.g. they can swear spit and hit policemen and get away with it.
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Unfortunately I was at the beginning of this incident, and I can say if it wasn’t for people not involved this could have been a lot worse for the young man who was attacked, the thuig the police are hunting was intent on hospitalising the victim and i believe he was spurred on by these girls who attempted to attack unrelated people in a late night takeaway. Snowhill steps are the common town hotspot for underage drinkers and violent behavior from yobs in St. Helier, why this are isn’t policed or at the very least in reach of addequate CCTV is beyond reason. I’ve been living here for over a year and it’s ridiculous that the whole “trouble area” from Colomberie to The Weighbridge DOESN’T have the detterent of CCTV and late night policing to make things safer for residents and visitors alike. I lie no blame for this incident on any of the local bars as their management and door staff are professionals that handle every situation without esculation. The cause of this assault is down to underage drinking on the streets and that, I feel is St. Heliers biggest problem.
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Is nathan Jordan #5… living on another planet ??? When it seems to be safer on the streets of New York, than it does on York street, someone needs to seriously make some changes……. I some how don;t think sticking to ‘ well lit areas’ is one of the solutionns !!!That is just a moronic thing to suggest as part of a solution.
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James #12
16 year old girls on the streets attacking people because they were most likely drunk! I wish we were like America in this sense. ANY alcoholic drink seen drinking on the street is a fine and a trip to jail for the night. Well we could skip the jail part here as the place would be full of kids, but we should at least take them home and let the parents what their child is actually up too.
I do feel sorry for the injured teenager that was attacked I do, but this sort of stuff doesnt usually come out of the blue. I bet they said something to him and he just replied with a cocky answer which they didn’t like. I know that’s not an excuse but the paper makes the attack sound more random that it probably really was.
I also do agree with them being out a 2am is questionable and what I ask people is this:
What about making summer school holidays shorter so kids aren’t just hanging out on the streets drinking and making trouble at 2am. The parents should be level headed enough to not let them out on a school night!
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Wendy
“Why oh why isn’t the message getting through to parents about knowing where their children are?
Can ANYONE tell me how 2 16yr old girls are on the streets at 2 am?”
Its not about parents not knowing, its about parents who couldn’t care less and expect everyone else to do the parenting for them. People really should have to get a licence to procreate.
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Goodness me what on earth are these kids doing roaming the streets, have their parents got any control over them, name and shame them they should be sent to prison, age should not be an issue time to buck up and tighten the laws over here on teenager running riot…and yes where were the police…on a tea break!!!! For goodness sake get this Island back to being safe and get this brats off the streets……
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It can damage investment,it happened in towns like edinburgh morauding gangs
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Why Oh Why does this keep happening, Jersey used to be a fun and peaceful Island when I grew up there, now look at the state of it, unreal and disgusting..
The Island has gone down hill so much over the years, I am glad I know longer live there. This is the sort of place that no one want’s to visit anymore and I don’t blame them.
I hope this poor lad recovers, and these kids are brought to justice..
The parents should feel disgusted with their childrens behaviour, and should hang their heads in shame.
Come on Jersey clean up your act…
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I was a police officer on Jersey, forty years ago, it seems not much has changed. Then, the size of active duty police officers was probably less than 150 men and women. A very small number patrolled a very busy St. Helier, during the years when the Island had a booming tourist industry.
For more than twenty years, I have lived in the U.S.A. and my experience is that, unless someone goes to an area that is known to be “iffy” then they are safe. By contrast, you are at risk of being randomly threatened or actually attacked in the streets of the United Kingdom/Jersey.
Here, in the U.S.A. (in most States) we are permitted to carry firearms and yet it is rare for people to use them. Presumably, the knowledge that the other person may also be carrying a weapon, is itself a deterrent. For someone to brandish a weapon, as a threat, is not only unlawful but could easily result in their death. People do not give the benefit of the doubt to anyone making threats with a weapon.
During the time I lived on Jersey, it was not unusual for people to be “glassed” in the face during bar fights. If someone attempted to do that in the U.S., there is a high probability that they would be shot. The use of deadly force is permitted when faced with a tangible threat of death or serious injury to oneself or another.
People in the general population here tend to be less violent on a superficial level but if serious force is required, however, there is little hesitation. A contradiction perhaps but true and is accepted as part of the culture.
What a paradox, to be safer in the one of the most violent countries in the world than on the streets of a small island.
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Alex…..Sorry but how many people do you know that have been stabbed on the way home recently??
I agree that these girls should not have been out at this time of night and i feel terribly sorry for the young man who was attacked.
Some of the statements in here make Jersey sound like the roughest place ever!! Jersey is an incredibly safe island! Fights etc happen everywhere everyday, at least most of the fights over here are with fists, not guns or knives etc!!
We should be thankful that we are not in england were the youth get shot and stabbed and raped on a daily basis!! Jersey is a safe and beautiful island and i wheni have children i would rather raise them here than anywhere else in the world!!
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Actually Florida Bean I live in St. Clement.
I have lived in Paris during the 2005 riots and in Birmingham for three years where gun crime is rife, Jersey is a walk in the park by comparison. I would certainly say it is safer than the state of New York which permits criminals to own firearms(!)
All I’m raising is the fairly logical point that no matter how draconian the punishments are, these can only be inflicted when we first catch criminals, which itself can only happen after the fact.
To this end it makes far more sense to take a preventative approach towards crime. Staying in large groups in well lit areas when out at night is more a matter of common sense than anything else – I would call doing otherwise rather moronic.
If every islander did this, it would necessarily reduce the chance of a violent opportunist attacking a lone person.
However, we can certainly consider other measures better to ensure the safety of islanders such as increased patrols as I mentioned, better CCTV coverage and of course better lighting in town.
This problem might be based on ignorance and aggression but the same are easily fuelled by alcohol too, which is why I suggest better measures to restrict sales of alcohol, having restricted drinking zones and working closely with licensed premises to make sure that no minors are purchasing it.
As Leah mentions above, promoting responsibility for one’s own children too should help – such as the TE@CH UR MUM 2 TXT campaign, which encourages parents to learn how to use SMS in case their child is under duress and cannot talk freely.
Anyone who thinks the problem can be solved by draconian punishments simply needs to look at the Home Office website, there is simply no correlation between severity of punishment and reduced reoffending rates for equivalent crimes, short of the death sentence.
In in the interests of justice too we must make sure that all punishments are a reflection of a crime commited and not a reflection of our frustration at how little perpetrators we are catching.
NJ.
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Ex Pat # 26. I agree with many of your comments. In the 1980s and 1990s you’d often hear of people who had been glassed. The police helped to reduce this behaviour, by working together with the licensing trade with the intorduction of shatter proof drinking glasses.
N.L. # 28 – There needs to be a deterrent and at present many people know that they will face few consequences if they commit a crime.
I believe that youngsters today have poor role models and are easily influenced by violent movies and video games. These often normalise violence and make anti-social behaviour seem acceptable.
Statistics often show that the majority of violent crime is committed by young males and by the time they have reached their thirties, many have grown out of this sort of behaviour. There are of course those recidivists who continue to act aggressively until they go to their graves. (I have an angry bantam cockerel on my farm who will always attack you ….he won’t change).
I agree that harsh prison sentences don’t always modify an offender’s behaviour; however this isn’t always the aim of imprisonment. Often a person is locked up to protect the public – separating the offender from the rest of society, for the sake of public protection.
All too often we see Probation officers advise that a person is suitable for parole etc., then when the offender is released, they immediately commit further horrendous crimes, like serious assault, sexual offences or worse – look at recent press reports on this issue. Crime and Punishment is not an exact science
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Saddened [13] – The Authorities are to blame. How can a parent impose any form of sanction without infringing “human rights when the courts refuse to impose any real punishment. The last time this happened with the foreign students the small fine imposed implied that the authorities view such behaviour to rate at the same level as a minor traffic infraction or parking fine. As most parents have probably overstayed a parking ticket at some point what message do you think this sends out to the kids.
We as a society have to make the choice of either going down the “human rights” route and allowing these thugs to continue in their ways or impose punitive and appropriate sanctions, thereby sending a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated.
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Ex Pat 26
…it was not unusual for people to be “glassed” in the face during bar fights…
Ah yes, the good old days!
When “Door Staff” were called “bouncers” and we were all scared even to cheek a policeman, let alone “spit at him”!
Things have definitely changed for the
worst.
But the far-west “Guns-for-all” society you speak about may work in some places, but Jersey is not the far west!
How many kids in Jersey have walked into school, shot at their schoolmates and teachers then turned the guns on themselves….mmmm…NONE!
I think saddened 13 hit the nail on the head…this is a “family affair”!
Someone must start looking at what is going on within families. Sixteen year old girls should not be roaming the streets at 2am…for their own safety!
saddened my friend, I’m saddened too.
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Guys – some parents aren’t responsibile for 16 year olds – or are you forgetting at 16 you can leave school, get a job and move out of home?
However totally agree that ANYONE who brakes the law should not simply get a slap on the wrist – they should be publically humiliated! Bring back the stocks and bring back the birch!
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Annie Du Feu.
What a ludicrous statement…..it’s because of attitudes like yours that society is in this mess now. Don’t you understand this?
ZBD
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but SoJ do not have to police all 45 square miles of the island….there is no point policing fields or empty country lanes. Whereas St Helier is the capital and where most people congregate so we should expect sufficient police cover for our tax money.
I feel immediate action of no tolerance needs to be taken by the authorities. Like someone mentioned in an earlier post Jersey could get a terrible international reputation if more of these events hit national headlines and it could affect investment and eventually the finance industry as we know it. You may think this is far fetched, but just consider how many thriving finance industries there are in places like The Bronx, East London, Moss Side, South Central LA……
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I would rather live in Jersey where an altercation in a bar can result in a fist fight and maybe a visit to A&E than the United States where gun ownership is common and when an argument does start it can end in someone reaching for their ‘shooting iron’.
Compared with any other developed country huge numbers of American’s lives are ended by accidental or deliberate shootings.
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Long gone are the days when parents had control of their kids. The day it became an offence for a parent to slap a child, is when all hell broke loose in Jersey.
Kids now threaten their own parents by saying “if you hit me, I will go to the police”. What is a parent to do if they cant bring a child up they way they see fit – hand them to the authorities to teach and bring up!!!
My child wouldnt dare do something like this or let alone be out at that time because I have brought her up MY WAY.
Bring back more parental control and let the parents teach their children their own way and you will see less abusive, unrespectable and violent teenagers on the streets.
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As you can see ZBD many posters here have little regard for crime prevention and have continued with the mantra of “zero tolerance” (I wasn’t aware the Police did in fact tolerate violent behaviour) and so forth.
If for example we said we were to give someone an automatic minimum ten year sentence with no chance of reprieve at La Moye for committing GBH, as I mentioned above firstly this can only be enacted when we have a) caught the offender and established their guilt and b) have a victim in hospital.
A relative of mine who worked as a Probation Officer in Jersey told me that it costs around £700 a week to keep someone in Prison, this includes the cost of guarding them, heating and lighting their cells, providing them with food and so forth. If we do our maths this means that at the end of this ten year we taxpayers are some £364,000 poorer.
Now you might argue that during that time the public has been kept safe from a violent offender and therefore it is a price worth paying however this has not ultimately solved the long term problem. The original offender will inevitably be released back into society and new offenders will crop up at various times simply because detention in itself is not an effective deterrent.
Anyone who knows of the attacks against two French students here in the island recently may feel that a non custodial sentence was inappropriate given the level of the attack. Such people simply haven’t done their homework – young offenders in particular find it very hard to escape from a spiral of offending once incarcerated and as such it is best to use methods which will prevent them from reoffending.
Once again Home Office statistics show that particularly with regard to young offenders probation and community service are far more effective at preventing future crime. I believe this has more to do with the personal attention a Probation officer can give to their client. Also what kind of role models would an impressionable 19 year old for instance find in Prison?
With the money required to incarcerate even one violent offender, we could easily pay for the current jail sentence or probation, improve CCTV and lighting in town and hire extra Police Officers to patrol known hot spots.
Please everyone remember also to think logically about measures to help our community, not just about how terribly angry this makes you!
NJ.
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Anon Pimbs
I fully agree. There has been too much interference from the PC and Human Rights brigades……most of whom probably don’t even have kids themselves.
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# 33 – B.S.DeLux – Goodness me; I can always count on a reposte from you and a cogent arguement as well.
Yes I accept that the police need to concentrate their resources in the built up areas, but potentially they may be called to any location within the Island’s 45 square miles – not often, but nevertheless it isn’t impossible.
There are over 1,400 square miles in the county where I live and even less chance that you’ll see a cop on the streets. In one town – about the same size as St. Helier – a police officer friend of mine, told me you often only have two or three officers on patrol during the night time at the week end. Of course that’s no reason why the police can’t deploy more officers in St. Helier – I just want to make a comparison.
I have just been reading about the police in North Wales, where people can advise the police via the police website, where they’d like to see more officers and what their priorities should be – maybe people in Jersey should press for a similar facility.
Many people who contribute on this site comment that the police are there to provide you with a service; you are of course quite right and you should lobby your politicians in an endeavour to achieve improved policing.(Come to think of it, the J.E.P. probably already provide the police with an indication where the public want the police to be and what their priorities should be).
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I should perhaps clarify my previous post.
Not for a moment did I intend to infer that firearms have any place in Jersey culture (someone appeared to extract that from my post). In a somewhat “foggy” way, I was perhaps suggesting that the fear of almost certain consequences act as a deterrent, even in the most dire circumstances.
Thankfully, we have moved on from “spare the rod, spoil the child” but perhaps we have travelled too far in the opposite direction. Lack of self respect surely suggests an inclination to not respect others. With the lack of respect for others eventually comes lack of empathy and eventually the possibility of sociopathic behaviour.
Sadly, once society accepts the decay of the “old rules” such as “do as you would be done by” it is almost impossible to turn back the clock; everyone must live by the new rules and all that this entails.
When I think of Jersey, I shall always miss the railway walk, or pints with friends at St. Mary’s pub on Sunday mornings, hopefully that will never change; although I shall probably never experience them again.
A betot
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Thanks ZBD……I think
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#21, Why should Summer School Holidays be made shorter just because some teens are out of control? Whatever next? 7 days a week Schools? No more School breaks?
For God sakes, kids in the UK only get 6 weeks Summer Holidays compared to 8 weeks almost everywhere else, and some countries even get 12 weeks! Let kids have their Summer holidays, most of them are good kids and shouldn’t be penalized because of what some bad apples do.
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B.S.DeLuxe # 40. My pleasure mate….you do put forward a cogent arguement – I don’t always agree, but that is the fun of having a debate. I can still respect other people’s point of view.
N.J. # 36 – I stand by what I said in an earlier entry; that is prison isn’t just about rehabilitiation, it is also to seaparate the criminal from the rest of society. I understand what you are saying, but in my experience it doesn’t work like that.
Yes it may cost £364,000 to keep someone in prison over a ten year period. However the cost of offenders’ crimes can not be calculated in money alone, what about the psychological and phsyical damage they have on their victims. Especially if they are repeat offenders.
Then you have to consider the costs of medical treatment for injuries caused, cost of replacing damaged or stolen belongings etc. The potenial cost of loss of earnings that a victim has to experience because of his or her injuries etc., etc.
In some cases it is appropriate to lock people up for a long periods – especially repeat offenders. That has nothing to do with being angry about an individual, it is to do with protecting the public.
I have said it before, crime and punishment is not an exact science – nobody can be sure what works and what doesn’t work. What works with one offender may not work with another.
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Ex pat 39.
I think you should re-read your comment 26…there was obviously a bit of “fog” in your sitting room when you were writing it!
It sounds like Buffalo Bill “the-arms-dealer” trying to “flog” his wares…
But now the fog has cleared (on both sides of the ocean), I totally agree with you, especially with regard to the “old rules”.
Nowadays, parents are afraid of their children…and when there is no parental control, this is what happens.
You put it in a nutshell…
“With the lack of respect for others eventually comes lack of empathy and eventually the possibility of sociopathic behaviour.”…frightening, isn’t it?
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Pretty shocking stuff, I feel terribly sorry for all involved. Yes that includes the girls one of whom I’ve met and who seemed nice enough.
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I’ve worked in the ‘nighttime economy’ for over ten years now, and the level of street violence is getting steadily worse. The JEP’s ‘Violence returns to the streets of St. Helier’ statement almost made me burst out laughing. Return? It never stopped.
There’s more and more drunken idiocy every night. Fights, altercations, arguments… I could quite happily say there’s several alcohol fuelled incidents attended by the Police pretty much every night of the week, and I’d know, I either witness them or get to hear about them pretty quickly. And that’s just the ones I do hear about.
More and more scumbags are flooding over here, due to exactly zero immigration controls regarding criminal convictions we’re a soft target. And we’re doing quite a good job of breeding our own vermin too. Get used to it, it’s only going to get worse.
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It is interesting that there is a theme here about parents knowing where their 16yr old girls are.
I’m afraid we have to blame human rights for this one.
You cannot restrain a 16year old child who “knows their rights” and I have heard of parents cautioned for restricting childrens movements i.e. locking in a bedroom.
History will show that giving rights to children whilst excellent on paper has brought a breakdown in respect for parents and authority and this is what we are seeing rather than a lack of parental control.
Alcohol is a huge problem and we are going to see bigger issues as it becomes acceptable to more and more of the teenage population.
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Dear oh dear! everything from “bring back the Birch” to “arm everyone to the teeth”!
What is really wrong here is that there is nowhere for these under 18′s to go where they can channel their boundless energy’s into something constructive without it costing an arm and a leg in money terms (Money which they lack unless up to no good to acquire it!)
The media is full of adulation these days for the drunken street rabble with TV programs purporting to be highlighting social issues but which are little more than voyeuristic masochism of the “How shocking!” variety.
As for video games where the simulated violence levels would shock even some hardened real life combat veterans, are you surprised that in attacks such as this one reported, teenagers resort to kicking and weapons such as knives to resolve trivial arguments, when they are used to video games where the victims of similar simulated violence either get up and walk away apparently unaffected, or recover after some rudimentary imaginary cure all hospital treatment?
Effects of violent acts and remedies which sadly some discover too late are not the case in real life!
I still say that there needs to be a controlled environment where under 18′s can go, where there are facilities under proper management that they can use in all weathers up to say 11.30 p.m.(Subject to age graduation)year round.
How about the old Jersey College for Girls building as a town Youth and Social Center? Spend some public money on proper facilities, some of which must have existed already in what was a School building? There were as I remember three grass tennis courts for a start, a library, possibly a computer room, and endless classrooms which could be used for any number of interesting activities (Under supervision)from wood working and war gaming to table tennis,film making, painting, music etc,etc.
There could be a youth committee made up of elder children who would acquire responsibility (Under supervision) for the drafting of a code of conduct when on-site, and an organised “see you home” policy formulated in conjunction with parents.
The great advantage of these facilities is they would be available during long school holidays when there are weeks when either both or single parents are working during the day.
Obviously you are still going to get the real hard nuts out on the street who then could have the full force of the law thrown at them, but what such a scheme as the one I am suggesting does is offer a constructive alternative that would take many of the potential victims of the hard core element out of harms way!
It also gives hard working parents some knowledge of where their teenagers are, or should be.
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Our esteemed politicians have given 16 year olds the right to vote so technically they are adults and can do what they like. Its a pity that they still cannot be named in the paper when they go thru the courts like the over 18,s
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To Jaime (comment 27) Not sure which part of England you are referring to where people are getting shot, stabbed and raped every day-certainly not where I live!I have always lived by the rule that if something unpleasant is going to happen to you it will happen anywhere-all you can do is take sensible precautions and hope that luck is with you.Although some people still like to think that Jersey is a little oasis where everyone is safe it is very unwise to think this way as it really is no different to anywhere else nowadays (actually it wasn’t at any time if you do your research)In all the years I grew up and remained in Jersey we had the serial paedophile on the loose for years not to mention quite a few murders some of which remain unsolved.
This story is just another sad reminder that there are nasty,unruly people out there but thankfully they are in the minority.
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Sick to death # 45. I was alarmend to read your entry about your witnessing violence on a regular basis. Do the cops ask you to provide witness statements?
In your view do the police deal with these episodes of violence in an appropriate way? Do you get feed back on the results at court for those who are convicted?
Something needs to be done to sort out the problem; I am really miffed about all these comments, as when I lived in the Island the cops seemed to be getting a grip on the problem. They had a Licensing Unit that worked pretty closely with the Licensing Trade and cops regulalrly visited pubs and clubs to root out potential problems.
Alcohol is definately a major contributory factor and a lot of research has been done by the Portman Group into how to reduce alcohol related violence. Are the police still working with the Licensing Trade, trying to implement some of the latest ideas from the Portman Group, on how to reduce the potential for violence?
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I do like the fact that this attack has been portrayed as quite random.
I am led to believe that the attacking guy was the boyfriend of one of the girls… and – wait for it, you’ll love this one – the victim was the ex-boyfriend of the other girl!
That’ll be why two 16 year old girls are out at that time – although my question would be “who was looking after the attacker and his girlfriends baby at this time?”
As for complaining that the police weren’t there, yes you are all correct; if the police had been there then it wouldn’t have happened. But then surely that is the case with all crimes. You don’t see burglars waiting for a police presence before breaking into someones house. Crime tends to make sure that the police aren’t around. So I feel it’s a little pointless to blame the police every time something like this happens. Looking at the relationships I mentioned above I think it would be safe to say that had the police been on site this would not have happened….. where it happened! It would have happened somewhere else so that the police weren’t there. I know if I was going to attack someone like this case (which I don’t do, before I get judged) I would have more chance if I made sure the fuzz were nowhere near!
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name and shame them, there is no excuse for doing that to somebody else
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Quite the most savage and disturbing incident I’ve ever had the misfortune to witness and as already mentioned could well have ended in a fatality if not for the swift intervention of passers by.
The key should be thrown away and I certainly hope that social services step in and do the right thing by the innocent child of these violent monsters before history has a chance to repeat itself.
Here’s hoping that the victim makes a swift and full recovery and that justice is served on the attackers.
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Michael # 51. Chambers used to be a known hot spot, where the police would often station officers to watch for potential problems, however didn’t I read somewhere that Chambers had closed.
You are right however, that people who commit crime are always on the look out for the police and when they are nearby they refain from misbehaving. Some might say that that’s the whole point, the police need to be on the street to deter problems.
However the police can’t be everywhere and they may have been at another incident trying to quell a disturbance and prevented problems at another location.
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Nick 47
…”How about the old Jersey College for Girls building as a town Youth and Social Center?”…
That’s a good idea…provide a much needed, cost-efficient facility and save a fine building at the same time!
Somewhere safe for the kids to go, plenty of activities, etc.
Nah! It’ll never happen, when was the last time you heard of Jersey putting a truly “good idea” into practice.
Such a shame really, plenty of space, perfect location for town…hmmm…I bet someone’s already got plans to turn the site into an “enormous-profit-making” venture…forget it Nick, forget it!
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ZBD
I agree that the police can’t be everywhere at once. How about installing a small station in the middle of St Helier for a quick response? Just a suggestion.
A lot of touristy areas I’ve been to on the continent operate this way, they have a main police station with cells and another, smaller station closer to the “action” for a quick response to any trouble….and probably more as a deterrent. Even though Jersey is small I bet by the time a response arrives from Rouge Bouillon the troublemakers could have fled the scene.
Then again this is Jersey so the planning would probably only be agreed for offices or flats!
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Someone made a comment suggesting they weren’t that happy with the ‘zero tolerance’ approach others were suggesting.
I was wondering how others man ‘zero tolerance’ because when I say it I don’t mean in regards to punishment I mean it in regards to what crime is tackled.
ALl sorts of studies done over long periods of time have shown that if ‘smaller’ crimes (excessive noise, littering etc) are tackled that rates of all other crimes drop. This doesn’t just require the Police though, it requires all organisations and society to work together. If there is an incident of graffiti it is beneficial to get rid of it urgently as leaving it encourages other attacks, same goes for smashed windows etc.
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