Surely you can't move everytime something like this happens

Sadly, this is true. If the police did their job properly - "Protect and Serve" - this thread wouldn't even be here.
As they are incapable, for one reason or another (and not necessarily their fault), then I, for one, will take whatever steps are necessary to protect those I love.

honestly i wouldn't want to its like running away in stead of dealing with the problem, some thing no one should be force to do.

If you move and they pick on someone else and they move and so on ... and this cycle continues, what happens then? You end up with thug-rule?

at last !!!! thank you ian!!! my bestest pal!

Of course not ! What if you can't afford to move? What then?

ok so what if you've done nothing wrong and your life had been made hell,and that of your children - why should you move????

i guess to take control and stop it, but then you shouldn't be forced into a situtation where you need to move.

Indeed. This used to be a reasonable area but we have had a lot of trouble with youths recently.

Numerous calls to the police, one by a neighbour who had both his cars seriously (and expensively) vandalised have not been successful in bringing out ONE officer. I was told, on both occasions I rang, that there was nobody available.

Yet one morning, a couple of months ago, they managed to send out TWELVE officers to walk around the area checking on tax discs and rubbish.

I find that extremely patronising. Of course I appreciate that parents are protective of their children and of course I understand that is why people get heated but that does nothing to alter the fact that you cannot run a countries justice system fairly by allowing them to respond in a gut fashion.