Nuisance kids in the street

[raguvun]

 I am at present having a lot of nuisance/trouble with teenagers around the area playing ball games on the street outside my house. I live on a bend on a semi quite street. although the road is a through road the only people using it mostly are the ones living in the street. The children are using this bend/area to play football etc. I have tried to stop them as they do kick the ball into the garden almost on a regular basis ie almost every ten minutes the ball comes into the garden. I have told them that they are tresspassing when they come into the garden to fetch the ball. They won't listen.

What are my rights and what can I do to stop them.

[jean88]

We had the same problems with the kids in the area where we lived. Your house is similar to ours on a bend, is it a side house? Best if you talk to their parents first. We tried talking to the parents but they were sticking up for the kids,saying the are just kids. Till one day someone did damage to our car we had to report it to the police and we told them the problem. They suggested us to give them ( the ring leader) a harrassement order, we did, this is a caution, this mean they have been warned by the police any further nuisance they would be arrested. This seem to have an effect on them.

Depends on how rough the area is, it might have opposite effect. Try talking to their parents, if they dont take no action then speak to the police and also citizen advice bureau about anti-social behaviour and harrassements orders and rights.

If they cause trouble for other neighbours get them to complaint as well, this would have more effect.

If they go into your garden, this is trespassing, it is your property they have broken the law, report to the police. Put a knock on the garden gate. For evidence catch them on carmeras and show them to the police, or the parents first and tell them you would report them if they dont stop. The kids are out of control now-a-days, they get away with anything because they are underage, should be more punishments for them.

[raguvun]

Thanks Jean88.

The house is in a middle class suberb. It is corner semi, so I have windows at the front and on the side, which they have been smasing the wall into. i have spoken to the parents and I did more or less get the same reply as yours. My car was damaged last year by the ball denting the front wing, which I did make the parents pay for the repair work. How do you get about to take out a harrassment order. Your help would be most appericiated. Incidentally they dont even have to use the gate. They just jump over a very low wall which goes around the perimeter. It's only about 15 inches high and I can't have a wall more than a meter high according to the council, which also is a expense which I could do without.

[oxeyedaisy]

you could plant some prickly shrubs around your boundary..and keep them trimmed to a metre or so..that will stop them just running all over the garden..

[Clanad]

Ummm... I'm sure you know the old saying, "More flies with honey than vinegar"... you know the confrontational approach isn't really going to provide results.  In fact, with most kids that age, the level of harrassment will increase.  Why don't you at least try going out with some soft drinks or cookies or whatever when they are playing?  It can't hurt and may well establish a better relationship.  I'd just approach them with the goodies and not ask anything of them the first time.  After a few visits and learning their names (everyone likes to be called by their name) invite them into your garden and show them what you've worked to develop.  It might just work... but be guaranteed the other options won't, and I think you know that... Best of luck though!

[emmalee]

If the ball comes into our garden, my husband takes the ball inside until either the parents come knocking (giving opprtunity to talk about it) or the kids come knocking to apologise and promise to play elsewhere.  Usually this works, although my son has a good collection of various footballs now!!!

[jean88]

Clanad : I have tried to be nice to them first, but they just taking advantage of us and think we are soft.

raguvun :We had worst things done to us, eg. things throwing at the house, shouting abuse...etc...Have they dont anything else? But you have manage to get the parents to pay for the damage, that means they are not all that nasty. Is a middle class area unlike ours, u can still try to talk to the parents suggesting u might consider a harrassement order, reporting them to the police. Go down to your local police station or simply phone them and tell them the situation ( trespass). Try other suggestions first, it might work. Mine is the last resort.

[ianess]

Isn't it strange how the law seems to show more sympathy to the perpetrator rather than the victim? Is it not long past the time when parents should be held responsible for their offsprings behaviour?
I'd try what emmalee suggested before resorting to Loosehead's idea though, no matter how tempting.

[smurfchops]

Whatever you do, and however tempting it might be, don't even touch them - you will end up in court ... good luck.

[desertrat]

I've had the same problem. The best way definately is to talk to them and explain why they should play somewhere else. The confrontational approach is just likely to cause more grief which it did for me.  From my experience the kids who cause a problem tend not to play near their homes anyway so it would be difficult to track down their parents. I have also contacted the police before. On one occassion I was told "what do you want us to do about it?" On another occassion the police came straight round. Depends who you get.