Abingdon Landmark – Blocked Alleyway

Abingdon Landmark - Blocked Alleyway
This alleyway was blocked off to prevent young people making a quick getaway from the police at Reynolds Way shops about ten years ago. It features in a documentary about Young Reoffenders in the UK – filmed in Abingdon.

Whereas the number of young people getting into a life a crime is dropping, there are young people in their twenties already into a cycle of repeat offending.

They are the feature of The Documentary The UK’s Young Reoffenders: Rule Britannia (which contains bad language). This documentary could have been made in many towns but they found willing participants here.

25 thoughts on “Abingdon Landmark – Blocked Alleyway

  1. Janet

    It is no wonder that there are youth repeat offenders. The law is so lax that young people have no respect for the police and no that they cannot be touched. I caught a youth spraying my garage door and the police said that there was nothing they could do. I went to his house and his mother said I am a single mother I cannot pay for any damage. I caught a youth dumping a stolen bike by my back gate and I said why are you leaving it by my gate. He menacingly said ‘because I want to’. They know that if a householder dared to protest it would be the householder who would be charged not them. The trouble is that they progress unchecked from small crimes and anti-social behavior to more serious crimes.

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  2. daniel

    …if there’s one thing I have learnt since being here and being interested in “what’s going on”…is never ever say anything negative; or at least try and find the positive in each woeful situation. So here goes….

    At least these scallywags aren’t using getaway vehicles – could you imagine the traffic if they did!?

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  3. Janet

    Daniel, yes they are using getaway vehicles. I had my car stolen from outside my house, albeit some years ago. Perhaps other people are having their vehicles stolen also.

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  4. Colinb

    I agree totally, on the estate I live, over the years, there was a spate of offences committed (Police classified young offenders), started small with vandalising front gardens, nothing done, progressed to removing parts from cars parked on drives, (wheel hub caps, letting tyres down), which progressed to slashing the tyres/sticking with a screwdriver. Standard answer, nothing we can do, not even PCSOs.

    Seems they might have moved away, it suddenly stopped…

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  5. Dave

    I was mugged and violently attacked in South Abingdon by two repeat offenders. The current system does not result in offenders stopping from recommitting.

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  6. Neil Fawcett

    Janet – SOME young people have no respect for the police. Many do. Quite a lot of older people also have no respect for the police.

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  7. Kelly Simpson

    While not condoning any antisocial or criminal behaviour, do the police deserve any respect? Corrupt, incompetent and lazy.

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  8. ppjs

    Golly, some sweeping generalisations here: the police, kids (YOOF). What about the stamp collectors?

    Why the stamp collectors?

    Why young people, why the police?

    In every group there are some who fail, some who deliberately disrupt; but they are a very small minority.

    Perhaps for Christmas we could get out of our grumpy chairs??

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  9. Janet

    Neil, The balance of policing seems to have swung the wrong way. We have experienced youth being able to commit criminal damage etc, but the police charge householders if they remonstrate or try to protect their homes. The most disgusting thing I have seen in a report in Wales is three youths tried to hijack a car driven by a disabled man and when the police came they arrested the disabled man for trying to defend himself with a walking stick. This is why people have lost faith in the police.

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  10. Janet

    Incidentally I am one of the residents who have been trying to stop our neighbourhood becoming run down by the Sakies and the vandals. We are losing the battle as far as I can see. The art work has been torn down and the notice board has been ruined. The decent residents of Saxton Road and the area do not get any support to keep the area from becoming an run down.

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  11. Astronaut

    I’d be wary of believing everything you read, especially if, as I suspect, your choice of paper is the Daily Fail…….apologies if that isn’t the case.

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  12. rudi

    dont think you need to read anything – watching the video tells you all you need to know about such folk – why are they allowed to continue living here? -who is financing them?

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  13. Ali

    Well said PPJS! I was going to say Kelly’s comment was extremely sweeping. I would love to know how she knows all police officers are lazy, corrupt & incompetent? Most are hard working & decent people. The same as most young people are good. Funny how no one mentions the parents in all of this or the fact sentencing is actually not down to the police! No where is perfect but we actually live in one of the lowest crime areas in the country! Merry Christmas!!

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  14. Janet

    Ali and Ian. This is why people suffer abuse and anti-social behavior for years. No one supports the people who want to live in peace without this sort of disturbance. You do not take anyone’s problems seriously. Yes the police do have to work within the law and the law favours the criminal and not the victim. Incidentally I take in neither of you live in Saxton Road!. Are you going to help us to make the area a better place to live? The notice board has been destroyed. We would appreciate a donation to get another one.

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  15. Iain

    Janet – i sympathize with your experience of these rather unpleasant individuals but i thoroughly disagree with your sweeping generalisations labelling all young people in abingdon. This is nothing to do with not taking your issue seriously.

    Just to set a small counter-example, last thursday i attended a carol service by thirty or so teenage abingdonians which raised about £200 for the salvation army. Beware of generalisation – it’s dangerous and undermines your point.

    On your point about the noticeboard, there is a grant scheme called the joint environmental trust run by the town council which can help with this sort of thing. If you go to the council’s website you can find a form or give the council a ring and they can give you some guidance.

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  16. Kelly Simpson

    I speak from personal experience of the behaviour of many local police. Then you only have to look at high profile cases. Try looking at IPCC results. I accept there are ‘good’ police, but the rot is widespread and, frankly, scary.

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  17. davidofLuton

    Goodness, Abingdon seems to have changed a lot in the sixteen months since I moved away. I have lived all over the country, and I remember Abingdon as a relatively safe, crime-free town.

    Whatever happened when I left to turn it into the dystopian wasteland that some people are describing here? I am so glad I live in the comparative security of Luton.

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  18. Donzo

    We are lucky to live in a relatively safe and crime free town, but you don’t need many people to start breaking the law, and the fact that we are not prepared for this type of behaviour means that one or two individuals can sour the reputation of a whole town.

    Furthermore, the police are often unable to act without evidence, if you regularly witness anti social behaviour, keep notes, take photos if it is safe to do so.

    The police will only come down against people who protect their property who use unreasonable or unnecessary violence towards these idiots.

    Sadly, we do need to protect ourselves and our property against the lowest common denominator, but fortunately there are not that many around, despite what some of the more sensations papers may claim !

    Reply

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