Waiting for the police to arrive - what would you have done?

[annie0000]

My son (age 9) was playing at our newly built local park at teatime and came home crying and upset as 3 boys from his class were throwing large stones (about the size of my hand), sand and sticks at him and giving him verbal abuse. As he was trying to get on his bike to cycle back, one of them whacked him on the back with a large stick causing a weal - he was also hit by several stones but not much in the way of marks left on him. I cycled round to the park to see if I could see the boys but they were gone.

I spoke to two other boys from my son's class who were there in the park and they told me the same tale and showed me some of the stones. I don't have the 3 boys addresses, but do have a home phone number for one of them. I tried to call the number twice with no response.

I then tried to contact the community policeman and I am now waiting for the police to arrive. Do you think this is ott?

What would you have done?

[madmaggot]

I think you've done the right thing.
I once tried to talk to the parent of a child who was bullying my daughter and was attacked by the child's mother who came flying from the back of the house as soon as I rang the doorbell.
She then had the nerve to report me to the police for assault!!
Fortunately the police were aware of the family and believed my side of the incident.

[cazzz1975]

the same as you probably, I would have found out the names of the boys and reported them to the police, I have become a scary person if anyone has threatened my family in any way so that it quite restrained for me.

[China Doll]

Well given that you've tried to contact one of the boys families and it's school holidays, I don't see what else you could have done really. Am I right in thinking that your son might be autistic or am I thinking of someone else? (Just because kids are cruel more than anything so I guess that might make someone more vulnerable). Sounds like those boys could use a bit of a scare, so I see no reason why you shouldn't report the incident.. Not sure it would warrent a 999 call but it doesn't sound like you've done that.

[annie0000]

My view is that they need to nip these things in the bud, but then part of me thinks that at the end of the day, my son is fine and they are all 9 years old and that maybe the police have better things to be getting on with.

[cazzz1975]

best nipped in the bud annie, otherwise he will be worried about going back to school.

[annie0000]

Hi China, no I didn't dial 999 - I contacted the local bobbies - unfortunately not school holidays here, they went back yesterday and now I have to speak to the school in the morning and not send my bos to breakfast club as 2 of the boys go as well and it is not supervised after they finish breakfast. Thanks for the support maggot and cazz.

[boxtops]

I would do what you did. They may be nine at the moment but if they think it's ok to bully and hit another child with a stick and stones, they need to know it's not right. Kids can gang up and be verbally nasty, I expect we all went through a bit of the receiving end of that, but hitting with sticks and stones is not on.

[annie0000]

yes cazz - he is worried about school in the morning. I thought I had enough going on with my elder son being bullied :o(.

[annie0000]

Exactly boxtops. A bit of verbal give and take is fine, but not 3 on 1 with weapons.

[cazzz1975]

when I have had issues like this to deal with for my daughter, I let the school know exactly what happened, this was good as they kept an eye on her and were clued up to the bullies enough to notice them bullying several other kids who were too frightened to tell. Bullies rely on a campaign of secrecy, my theory is to shout my mouth off so everyone knows ;)

[annie0000]

me too cazzz - I will speak to the school in the morning, but they are probably getting fed up with me - we have had to get support from the school psychologist for my elder son as a result of bullying and I make sure that everyone knows who the bullies are. Name and shame.

[Dris]

Ive been there and your initial instinct and in some case my response was to let them have it both barrels.I just cant do softly softly as far as they are/were concerned.
I have to say when i let them have it they didnt bother them again but nowadays I think you have done the right thing by phoning the Police.Let them caution them in front of their parents and if nothing else its brought the wee toerags names to the Polices attention and they wont forget.

[annie0000]

cheers Dris - I don't either - and i bear a grudge!

[Dris]

Snap !!!!

Even to this day.....

[netibiza]

Yes, stop it and nip it in the bud before it gets any worse. Obviously keep your eye open for reprisals!

[annie0000]

cheers net, what annoys me as well is that I had all these kids in my back garden during the holidays drinking our squash and eating our biscuits and the reason I have one of the parents numbers is cos I took her wee boy to the pictures with my son a while ago.

[jno]

annie, in a very worst-case scenario you are alerting the police to a future Venables and Thompson. Okay, probably not that bad in real life, but you're doing the right thing.

[annie0000]

thanks jno - that went through my mind too - I have not been aware of these boys being trouble before, hence the reason I was happy to have them in the garden, my son also said that they haven't bothered him before, but by all accounts it was a reasonablly viscious attack that I don't want to see repeated on my child or anyone elses (well except the kids who are bullying my older son, but that's a whole other story!)

[annie0000]

cheers head - it's my older son that had the bullying going on and didn't tell us. This incident tonight happened to my younger son and believe me, he is not one to suffer in silence! I hope your friend and her daughter are ok - my older son is getting support from this term onwards to give him some coping strategys to deal with bullying might be worth your friend pushing for something similar for her daughter.