Chief constable says parents ‘need to have a word with their children’ and slams ‘shameful’ teen gang caught attacking children as young as 11 – as mothers are forced to form ‘mum patrol’ to guard park
- Eight parents say their children, some as young as 11, have been attacked by teen yobs in Chorley, Lancashire
- Attacks have been filmed by the thugs, who have then uploaded them on to social media to add to humiliation
- Parents have accused Lancashire Police of failing to take action against the feral youths, of both boys and girls
- Concerned mothers claim they are patrolling parks in area to keep their children safe due to ‘police inaction’
- Lancashire Police say nine attackers have been dealt with and they are taking ‘proactive approach to policing’
A top cop whose force has come under fire for its response to a gang of feral teens filming themselves terrorising youngsters says the parents need to get a grip of the ‘shameful’ actions of their children.
Chief Superintendent, Eddie Newton, from Lancashire Police, says the teen terrors behind the attacks – some on children as young as 11 – should be ‘ashamed’ of their actions. He also believes their parents should be having ‘frank’ conversations about their children’s thuggery.
It comes after incensed mothers claim they are being forced to take matters into their own hands and patrol their local park following a string of brutal attacks on their children by the unruly teenagers.
Shocking footage shows how the victims are brutally set upon by the appalling yobs while walking through a park in the town.
The videos have emerged because – in a sick twist – the unrestrained teens are filming the incidents and posting them online as a frightening ritual of humiliation.
As many as eight parents Chorley say their children have been attacked by the gangs in the last year. Frustrated parents say they have now reached their wits’ end with police, who they have accused of failing to take action to quell the gangs.
One parent, whose child was videoed being repeatedly kicked while down on the floor, says her family waited for four months to get an outcome from the police.
Another claims officers took four days to record a statement from her daughter, despite the violent attack being captured on video.
And, in perhaps the most shocking example, one parent claimed police told her that they would only arrest the attackers if her daughter’s injuries were ‘more serious’ – such as brain damage.
Lancashire Police insist its officers are taking a ‘proactive approach’ to policing in the area and that nine attackers have been identified and dealt with since.
Speaking about the attacks, CS Eddie Newton said: ‘I am sickened and appalled by the incidents and the behaviour of the young people shown on the news report, particularly the filming of children being attacked and the sharing of that footage on social media.
‘The young people who committed these crimes should be ashamed of their actions, and their parents / guardians should be having some frank and difficult conversations with them.’
Furious mothers whose children have been attacked by gangs of feral youths say they are having to resort to vigilantism in a bid to keep their teenagers safe in lawless Britain. Pictured: One of the mothers, Leanna, whose 11-year-old daughter, Indie, was attacked in the park
Shocking video shows the moment the victims, some as young as 11, are brutally set upon by the teen thugs. Video shows 11-year-old Ellissia being attacked by a gang of thug girls in a subway
Another girl, 14-year-old Bethany, was attacked in April last year. She managed to ring her mother during the attack, which was filmed and put up on social media. Pictured: The attack on Bethany
The force’s Chief Superintendent, Eddie Newton, Area Commander for South Division, said the parents of the thugs should be taking responsibility for their children’s actions
It comes as the mothers of the attacked children say they are now resorting to patrolling parks in the area to keep their children safe. Speaking to the BBC, one parent said: ‘I can’t believe it has come to this. I understand why it has, because our children are not being protected.
‘If my daughter is down here, I’ve got to do the police’s job and I’ve got to make sure she’s okay.’
Another said: ‘Look what we are having to resort to. We trust the police to be there to protect our children. And because they can’t do that, we are going to have to do it. It’s up to the parents to do it.’
What is the crime rate like in Chorley?
According to the latest official figures, there were 67 crimes reported in June this year.
Of those, the largest number of reported crimes were for anti-social behaviour (21).
Violence and or sexual offences (15) and shoplifting (13) were among the other most reported crimes.
June’s figure was down on the previous month, May, when there were 92 crimes reported, again, anti-social behaviour being the largest figure.
However, March saw the highest number of reported crimes so far this year in the area. More than 120 crimes were reported in March, 35 of which were for anti-social behaviour.
Figures show that last year, Chorley had a crime rate of 89 crimes per 1,000 people last year.
This is 13 per cent higher than the average for the rest of the country of Lancashire, which has a crime rate of 77 crimes per 100,000 people.
Another added: ‘There’s plenty of parents who want to take this into their own hands and obviously at this point they haven’t done, and I’m glad they haven’t done, but something’s got to give.’
It comes after the BBC spoke to parents in Chorley whose children were violently assaulted by the gangs of feral youths.
One video shows 11-year-old Ellissia being attacked by a gang of thug girls in a subway.
Her mother, Jade, said of the attack: ‘They’re just brutal. It’s horrific watching (the video). I feel like she’s just a baby. And that’s your baby on that floor. I’m just so angry with them.’
One the same day, 11-year-old Indie, was attacked in the same park. Her mother, Leanna, says she headed straight to the Chorley Police Station to report what had happened.
However she claims that when she asked to see an officer, she was told that no-one was available to see her. She claims officers took four days to take a statement. She said: ‘I was gobsmacked, in disbelief really.’
Two of those involved in the attack later received a voluntary caution.
Another girl, 14-year-old Bethany, was attacked in April last year. She managed to ring her mother during the attack, which was filmed and put up on social media.
Lisa said: ‘They punched her numerous times and stamped on her head. They all took turns. The doctor actually said that one more stamp to the head would have most likely taken her life.’
Lisa says the police were called, via 999, as the assault was happening. But she says no-one turned up for 48 hours.
She said it took weeks for Bethany’s attackers to be arrested. Two of the girls involved have now written a letter of apology after being given a conditional caution.
She said: ‘I got the impression the police believed it was pointless – that nothing will come of it.’
Responding to the claims, Chief Superintendent Eddie Newton, Area Commander for South Division, said he did ‘not underestimate’ the impact of the attacks on the victims and their families.
One video shows 11-year-old Ellissia being attacked by a gang of thug girls in a subway. Her mother, Jade, said of the attack: ‘They’re just brutal. It’s horrific watching (the video).’
One boy suffered one of the worst attacks. He was beaten to the ground by a group of thugs in the street (pictured)
As many as eight parents in the town of Chorley, Lancashire, say their children have been attacked by the gangs in the last year. Pictured: Parents have protested outside their local police station
He said: ‘I am sickened and appalled by the incidents and the behaviour of the young people shown on the news report, particularly the filming of children being attacked and the sharing of that footage on social media.
‘The young people who committed these crimes should be ashamed of their actions, and their parents / guardians should be having some frank and difficult conversations with them.
‘We have done a significant amount to both support the victim and their families and to keep them updated and have been in constant dialogue with them over recent months.
‘I also fully understand the anger felt by the wider community across Chorley, Lancashire and beyond and it is therefore vital that we set out both what we have done in relation to the incidents shown and also the wider work we are committed to tackling anti-social behaviour.’
He added that the force had ‘thoroughly investigated’ the reports and that attackers identified had been interviewed under caution.
‘Of the nine offenders in total, five have received youth cautions and four are still having their cases considered by the Panel,’ he added.
‘We take all reports of assault and anti-social behaviour extremely seriously and when people call us in an emergency, we will always be there to answer the phone and to send officers as soon as we possibly can.
‘We believe all calls in relation to these incidents have been dealt with appropriately but we understand some parents are still unhappy with our response and it is therefore right that we re-look at everything we have done and we will make sure that we keep all the victims and their families informed and any lessons for us are learned.’
It comes amid increasing pressure on police forces up and down the UK to wrestle back control of lawless Britain from criminals.
London, in particular, has seen a swathe of terrifying muggings caught on camera, including a video showing a man and a woman being attacked by robbers in upmarket Chelsea.
There have also been a number of incidents involving thieves and drug dealers disguised in delivery driver uniforms while committing crime.
Last month, video emerged of a grandfather being punched and hit with a metal chain while bravely confronting masked yobs outside his home – having begged the police for months for help with the gang.
Video shows Roy Muller (pictured), 76, being struck with a weapon and repeatedly punched and kicked as he tries to remove the unruly youths from his driveway in Great Barr, Birmingham
A brave elderly woman armed herself with a stick to help confront masked knifemen who had stolen a £60,000 Rolex from a woman in the street in Chelsea, west London
Video shows a rider stopping in traffic and smashing the sports car’s passenger side with a hammer on Hyde Park Corner, Mayfair last week
Video shows Roy Muller, 76, being struck with a weapon and repeatedly punched and kicked as he tries to remove the unruly youths from the driveway of his home in Great Barr, Birmingham.
The grandfather-of-nine says he was forced to defend his property from the aggressive youths, having been targeted by gangs of anti-social yobs for months.
Roy, who lives alone and suffered a heart attack last year, says ‘uninterested’ police have failed to act – despite him being targeted by up to 14 youths on a daily basis.
Mr Muller says he is now too scared to leave his home and has written to West Midlands Police’s Chief Constable Sir David Thompson in a last ditch plea for help.
Police say they are investigating the assault and are also ‘aware’ of reports of ongoing anti-social behaviour. The force insists it takes allegations of harassment ‘incredibly seriously’.
It comes after a damning report found how the vast majority of burglary victims – as well as those targeting by thieves and robbers – are being let down by the police.
Officers are ‘missing opportunities’ to catch suspects from the moment crimes are reported, the report concludes.
The latest Home Office figures show that just 3.7 per cent of burglaries, 4.2 per cent of thefts and 6.6 per cent of robberies result in a charge.
Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke said on Thursday that these are ‘not minor crimes’ and they ‘strike at the heart of how safe people feel in their own homes and communities’.
He said the low charging rates were damaging confidence in the police and has ordered a ‘back-to-basics’ approach amid fears that sloppy investigations mean victims ‘aren’t getting the justice they deserve’.
The latest Home Office data shows that fewer than 10 per cent of burglaries lead to a charge (this data includes robberies, burglaries and thefts)
Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke says these are ‘not minor crimes’ and they ‘strike at the heart of how safe people feel in their own homes and communities’
The low charging rates are ‘unacceptable and unsustainable’, according to a devastating audit by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.
Its bombshell report comes amid increasing concern that police are putting too much focus on ‘woke’ issues and not enough on crimes that shatter people’s lives.
The report found success rates for securing charges on burglaries, thefts and robberies varied wildly from force to force, creating an unacceptable ‘postcode lottery’ for victims.
It pointed to a national detective shortage and a large number of inexperienced officers as contributing factors.
The report also cited pressure on 999 call handlers, meaning some gathered only the bare minimum of information from victims.
Inspectors found that in 71 per cent of burglary reports, call handlers failed to give victims any advice on crime scene preservation – meaning vital forensic evidence could be lost.
Mr Cooke said: ‘A lack of experienced officers means that too often, these crimes are being investigated poorly and are not adequately supervised – often because supervisors themselves are inexperienced and overstretched.’
Almost a third of officers in England and Wales have less than five years’ experience but in a third of cases there was insufficient supervision, the report says, resulting in missed opportunities including intelligence gathering and linking cases.
Some forces can take six months to return fingerprint identifications, which can rule out prosecutions in magistrates’ courts due to statutory time limits – rendering an entire investigation useless.
And compliance with the code of practice for victims – the minimum standard victims should expect – was inadequate in almost half of investigations, the audit found.
Mr Cooke said: ‘There needs to be a concerted drive to address this issue because it directly affects the public’s confidence in the police’s ability to keep them safe. At the moment, depending on where in England and Wales they live, some victims are more likely than others to get a thorough investigation from their force. This postcode lottery can’t be justified.’
Mr Cooke said simple measures – such as visiting a burglary victim in person – could go a long way in reassuring the public that the police were taking action. Among the report’s recommendations are that forces should ensure crime-scene management practices are brought up to the recommended standard by next March.
Forces should also ensure that supervisors have the capability and capacity to properly oversee investigations.
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