Marauding kids

unfortunately once you respond to there 'showing off' you become a target!
I know it will be hard but stay silent like you are not in when they knock. they will get fed up and find another person to annoy.

Tell the police ? You shouldn’t have to put up with that crap. Or alternatively get a big well built relative to frighten them!

Put a large sign up somewhere visible saying that due to their actions you have installed a camera and the Footage will be sent to the Police
You could actually install a camera very cheaply, I doubt the Police would do anything, but it might be worthwhile.

If you are on Facebook and part of a local community group there, post asking if anyone else is having issues. There may be others who are being subjected to this anti social behaviour. Then you could contact community policing to ask for advice and support. I think you are best ignoring them, even although it's very annoying.

My son had a similar problem but he stopped responding, switched off his doorbell for a while, and the varmints quickly moved on.

We had 4 kids causing mayhem in the area, several fires were started, the police were useless we knew exactly who it was.

My brother and a friend caught them close to his place and had a short discussion with them it went -
“we know who you are, we know where you live, if anything happens here it’s going to hurt a lot, do you understand”

Is seems they understood because the trouble stopped, it’s all about respect they dont respect authority or property.

I feel for you scotgirlnick as little seems to be done to stop this kind of behaviour.

In our area we get marauding idiots on the trams, riding scooters up and down the carriages, and threatening smaller, younger children. It's worse during the school holidays. Not enough inspectors to nip it in the bud.

Be very careful.
You say you threatened them with violence,
They will report you to the police, who will believe them, not you, because they are children.
Be careful with photographic evidence; you will be accused of being a dirty pervert.
Both of the above happened to people in my village, one attempting to stop a gang trying to smash the glass library doors, the other a school governor filming yobs riding motor scooters round the school playground.
Dreadful; I really sympathise.

Unfortunately you have played into their hands you swore at them, you threatened violence, you are fanning the flames and they have got exactly the reaction they wanted
I sympathise but your out of control anger is completely what they needed to keep it going , ignoring them although I know how hard will encourage them there’s no excitement to be had from your house and they ll soon stop

although it sounds totally counterintuitive being friendly probably would have had more effect. These kids are bored and have no direction, and are very likely frightened at how the world is today,this is their only power. I would see if there is a community leader in your area and talk to them.. It'sbecoming a big problem where I live and is often mentioned on Nextdoor that doors are being banged in the early hours and cars are being smashed up. There needs to be farmore input from local councils to provide places where these young people can go ie boxing clubs, karate clubs anywhere where they can find some self discipline and selfrespect.

I do really sympathise, Scotgirlnick, and anyone who has to put up with this. My life was made very difficult at my last address before moving here. Eventually I learned to ignore them as I discovered that the more I protested the worst they behaved. Telling the police was useless.
I now live in complete tranquillity in the countryside. What a contrast. I do hope it can be resolved for you somehow.

It's probably best to ignore them totally - as they're just looking for a reaction (as henetha says).

Still, we did have a spate of 'knock down ginger' and egg throwing here (in the past) so it's good to have a Ring doorbell. I'm sure the prospect of being filmed is a deterrent.

They usually came here around 5 pm, so my son lay in wait - inside the garage with a trigger hose - and gave them a good soaking - very gratifying.

Very often the police can do nothing because of the their age except report it to the parents who invariably do nothing and don’t care where their kids are.

I agree with lemsip
They're enjoying your reactions, the little varmints!

Try installing a video doorbell, with a notice to say you're videoing them and it will be passed on to the police.

The behaviour described above is vandalism and is down to lack of parental control. Providing community leaders does no good at all as they have no authority over these children, and if they decide they want their music on at full volume in their youth club at 10pm, at the bottom of my garden, it is 'down to what they want ', as is throwing their fast food containers and drinks bottles over my fence.
The police do need to address these issues but they refuse, in the same way as they refuse to address illegal and dangerous parking outside the school.

In the High Street of our nearest town, seven businesses have been broken into in the holidays. On each occasion they have been caught on security cameras showing the thieves are kids on push bikes with crow bars. They are known to the police but no action seems to be happening. Our police station was closed down and now the nearest one is over twelve miles away meaning there are no patrols at night. This is despite the town now being three times the size it was twenty years ago.

I just wonder why parents do not know that their twelve year old children are out and about at three in the morning and are not curious as from where they are getting their money The just grab tills and lap tops, nothing else.

Facilities for young people were cut by the Tories or else by councils strapped for cash. Tory spending cuts have also resulted the closure of many police stations.

Taken from Byline Times:
"How many police stations did the Tories close?
Hundreds of Police Stations Have Shut Under the Conservatives ...
Central government funding for policing has fallen by 20% in real terms since 2010, resulting in the closure of 600 out of 900 police stations in England. London has been hard hit with the number of police stations falling from 153 in 2010 to just 45 in 2018 . 18 Apr 2023"

I remember as a child knocking on doors and running away, it's been going on forever. Those who react the most get more attention. I am not saying it is the right thing to do, but is nothing new. Unfortunately, you have reacted so now get more extreme attention.

Be careful about what you say and do as they will probably film you and put it on social media making you look like the bad one.

Without a reaction from you there will be no point in them doing it.

if you know the school, write to the school. I am on governors at a local academy, I know our head is very keen the locals aren't upset by the pupils. Plus if they could be in council/housing association properties contact the local landlords they will have community workers for tenants.

I also remember knocking on doors and running away.

Targeting one particular person and 'karate-kicking' their door is on a different level.

The police are not much interested - parents don't seem to know or care much what their offspring are doing once they are out of the house.

They need parks, sports clubs, places where they can let off steam - apparently. We in our small town provided such a place, a park with equipment etc, where they could 'hang-out'. It has been trashed twice since by kids on e-scooters and bikes who much prefer to race at speed up and down the streets and pavements late in the evening.

This 'low-level' anti-social behaviour is a menace, and parents of these kids and teens need to be held responsible.

Dinahmo

Facilities for young people were cut by the Tories or else by councils strapped for cash. Tory spending cuts have also resulted the closure of many police stations.

Taken from Byline Times:
"How many police stations did the Tories close?
Hundreds of Police Stations Have Shut Under the Conservatives ...
Central government funding for policing has fallen by 20% in real terms since 2010, resulting in the closure of 600 out of 900 police stations in England. London has been hard hit with the number of police stations falling from 153 in 2010 to just 45 in 2018 . 18 Apr 2023"

Whilst all the closure of the facilities is very worrying the behaviour of these scroats is down to their parents most of which are not in the least bit bothered where they are or what they are up to as long as they are out of their sight.
Ignore them and hopefully they will find some other poor person to annoy.

Katie59

We had 4 kids causing mayhem in the area, several fires were started, the police were useless we knew exactly who it was.

My brother and a friend caught them close to his place and had a short discussion with them it went -
“we know who you are, we know where you live, if anything happens here it’s going to hurt a lot, do you understand”

Is seems they understood because the trouble stopped, it’s all about respect they dont respect authority or property.

Yep, usually the best way of dealing with it, if you can.

It worked for me years ago.

They don't respect police or the schools - they only respect themselves and their own well being.

glammanana

Dinahmo

Facilities for young people were cut by the Tories or else by councils strapped for cash. Tory spending cuts have also resulted the closure of many police stations.

Taken from Byline Times:
"How many police stations did the Tories close?
Hundreds of Police Stations Have Shut Under the Conservatives ...
Central government funding for policing has fallen by 20% in real terms since 2010, resulting in the closure of 600 out of 900 police stations in England. London has been hard hit with the number of police stations falling from 153 in 2010 to just 45 in 2018 . 18 Apr 2023"

Whilst all the closure of the facilities is very worrying the behaviour of these scroats is down to their parents most of which are not in the least bit bothered where they are or what they are up to as long as they are out of their sight.
Ignore them and hopefully they will find some other poor person to annoy.

Absolutely. The first responsibility lies first with the parents, next on the little horrors themselves.