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CHAPTER 8 YOUNG PEOPLE
8.1 Despite the fact that legislation allows dispersal powers to be used to tackle any type of group disorder, they were initially conceived as a means of tackling youth disorder and this is how they were most often used in practice.
8.2 This chapter considers the views of young people in three of the areas where some of the most recent dispersal powers were authorised: Dennistoun, Knightswood and Sauchie.
8.3 Due to the specialised nature of this part of the research, the work was commissioned to external researchers. It was undertaken by Dr Hannah Smithson and Leanne Monchuk of the Applied Criminology Centre, University of Huddersfield. This chapter is based on data they collected and analysis they provided to the Scottish Government. Dr Smithson had previously carried out a similar study in Manchester using a similar methodology (Smithson and Flint, 2006.)
8.4 Young people were interviewed on issues around the following four headings:
- Knowledge of the dispersal powers;
- Experience of the dispersal powers;
- Views of the dispersal powers and the impact on behaviour;
- View of youth provision in the area.
8.5 A mixed methodology was used which made use of the following research techniques:
- Focus groups with young people;
- Out-reach street work with young people.
8.6 Focus groups were carried out in the areas of Dennistoun and Sauchie. The decision was made by the research team to undertake focus groups as the time constraints of the research did not allow for large numbers of young people to be interviewed individually. The focus groups typically included 4-8 individuals. Thirty-six young people participated aged 12-17.
8.7 Out-reach street work with young people was carried out in Knightswood due to a lack or pre-existing clubs or groups. Arrangements were made for the local sergeant to accompany the research team in an unmarked police vehicle and drive them around the Knightswood area on the evening of Saturday 9th June.
8.8 Young people who were walking around the area were approached by the research team and asked to take part in the study. Twelve young people participated - nine females and three males ranging from 13 to 18 years of age. The out-reach work involved speaking with groups of between two and six young people. The duration of the out-reach work was approximately three hours. The purpose of the research was fully explained to the young people involved.
Knowledge of the Dispersal Powers
8.9 It was apparent that young people in the 3 locations were taken by surprise by severity of the powers. Despite an awareness of the extra police attention among the people interviewed it is not possible to say that they were fully aware of the powers before they became subject to them.
8.10 The research looked at the means by which young people had been made aware of the new powers. People mentioned posters that were attached to lampposts, leaflets that were distributed around the area by the local police and presentations in schools.
8.11 In Smithson's previous work on dispersal powers (Smithson and Flint, 2006, Smithson and Armitage, 2007) the lack of specialised promotion to young people through schools was highlighted as a concern and a means of alleviating resentment before powers are authorised.
8.12 The vast majority of the young people could describe to some degree the nature of the powers. In Knightswood and Sauchie when asked if they had heard of them some of the young people responded that they had not. It was only when the researchers explained what the powers were that they recognised it as the dispersal designation. In Sauchie the reason for this could have been that the dispersal authorisation had been called "the ASBO" by local people and the local press. This had created some confusion about the powers.
8.13 There was evidence of confusion in all three locations about the powers that were being used. Some people spoke about being asked to move on, others said they were warned about being dispersed if they did not move, other people said they were "booked" or "lifted." Many people were not able to say if they had been officially issued with a direction to disperse or if they had simply been asked to move along informally.
"I was up the Parade and I was with more than three people and they booked us all and said, "right you're now dispersed. You can't come back in this area" and they gave me a map and said, "you can't come in here". Female, Dennistoun
8.14 The young people in Knightswood spoke of their experience of the powers and, as with Dennistoun, there were different experiences. Some spoke of being "booked" whilst others said that they had just received warnings. None of the young people had been arrested because of non-compliance. One young female had been taken home by the police but this was this was due to alcohol consumption.
8.15 The experience in Sauchie was similar to Dennistoun and Knightswood with some young people saying that the police warned them about being dispersed whilst others spoke of being "lifted", which was explained as being taken home. None of the young people said that they had been arrested due to non-compliance.
"They just said that if I didn't go home, they were going to take my name and then if they saw me back out they were going to lift me." Male, Sauchie
"…sometimes you'd just be walking about and you'd get told to go away for 24 hours and if you didn't, you'd get lifted." Male, Sauchie
Experience of the Dispersal Powers
8.16 The young people in Dennistoun were asked to provide an account of the behaviour that had led to their experience of the powers. They were able to provide detailed accounts of their experiences and a consistent theme emerged that young people felt they were unjustly stopped and/or "booked".
"I remember one time, me, [name] and this boy [name], were sitting just about where I live, and we were just talking and the police came up to us and said "you better move", and he said "well we live here", and he said "I don't care move". Male, Dennistoun
8.17 One young girl spoke of how she had been told to disperse from her younger sister after returning from a dance class in the area. She had been asked what she was doing out on the street and told that she should be indoors after a certain hour.
8.18 The negative impact that dispersal powers can have on the relationship between young people and the local police has been documented in previous research (Smithson and Flint, 2006). The responses from young people in Dennistoun reinforced this. The main criticism was the inconsistency in the way in which individual officers policed the dispersal zone. Other youngsters expressed their concern and resentment about officer's attitudes towards them;
"They could have spoken to us like we were normal people, not talking to us like we were three…" Female, Dennistoun
"The way they talk to you…is totally wrong. They should be suspended or something for the way they talk to us…and their whole attitude towards us." Female, Dennistoun
8.19 The accounts of young people from Sauchie were similar to those expressed by the youngsters from Dennistoun. Their accounts suggested that they were stopped purely because they were in the dispersal area with their friends;
"I was at the chippy. I just sat down to eat my chips and they said, "move". Male, Sauchie
"I was at the chip shop, and we were hanging about outside it and then we went up to the shop, and the police came, and they told us to move but we just ran away from them. The police started chasing us trying to tell us off..." Male, Sauchie
8.20 Sauchie youngsters also spoke in detail about the attitudes of the police officers in the area and how they perceived this to be unfair and antagonistic. The overall opinion was that the police had been over zealous in their approach to policing the zone.
"We were just standing there and they'd say "move now." Even if you were just going to the shop they would tell you to get away… and you have done nothing wrong. They didn't ask you to move away, they just told you to move." Female, Sauchie
8.21 The issue of personal safety was mentioned by a number of the youngsters and the impact that the dispersal powers had on the usual information they were given about safety.
"I think it is pointless, because they tell you not to walk about yourself just in case something happens to you…safety in numbers…but then they tell you to split up." Male, Sauchie
8.22 There were a number of consistencies in the accounts of the young people's experiences of the way in which the dispersal powers were policed in their area. Most significant was the way in which the legislation was interpreted by the police. The young people spoken to all described similar experiences of being warned, booked or dispersed because of what the young people felt were normal socialising activities.
Views of the Dispersal Powers and the Impact on Behaviour
8.23 The research explored the views of the young people with reference to whether they believed the powers were beneficial to their area and the extent to which the powers influenced their behaviour. In addition to establishing whether or not the young people had complied with the requirements of the powers they were also asked to provide their opinion of the impact of the powers generally in the area. This provided mixed responses with some stating that they felt that it had made the area quieter, others felt that it had displaced people to another area whilst others responded that it had had no influence whatsoever, as people just didn't take any notice of it.
8.24 The young people in Dennistoun were asked if they felt that behaviour in the area warranted the use of dispersal powers. A number of young people referred to the fact that older residents may be intimidated by people hanging around.
"I don't think there was a need for it. At the same time, if my granny stayed round here, obviously the older ones probably wanted it due to the, all the people hanging about because it is a lot more intimidating if you're an old woman or an old guy, and there is a [group] of people hanging about… some people in the [group], when you think about it, they know most of the people in the area. You will walk by them and you will say hi to them, you know. I think it was just a ploy for [local councillors] to get more votes to be honest with you." Male, Dennistoun
8.25 Some young people said that they felt that they felt the powers were inappropriate because they did not distinguish between small friendship groups and larger groups. In once case an individual said that this made the group not inclined to comply with the police.
"We didn't take any notice. It was just a load of rubbish. We did not see the point in [the rule being applied to groups of 2 or more]…it was your best pals. I am quite sure that you have more than three pals. We were just mortified." Female, Dennistoun
Views of Youth Provision in the Dispersal Areas
8.26 Previous research in England (see Smithson 2005) recommended that a dispersal powers can be effective if youth diversionary activities are offered during the dispersal period. The establishment of appropriate youth facilities was written into a good practice guide on dispersal powers for Manchester City Council (see Smithson and Armitage, 2007).
8.27 The focus groups in Dennistoun were undertaken at the Whitehill youth project which was housed in the local sports centre. The project had commenced running just after the dispersal powers ended in the area. It receives funding from Glasgow Community and Safety Services, the organisation set up by the local authority and police force to deal with issues of antisocial behaviour and community safety. The project does not receive core funding and is only guaranteed 10 weeks funding at a time. The project offers a wide range of activities for young people in the area on Friday and Saturday evenings from 8.00pm to 12.00am. Activities include swimming, football, music lessons, drama and art. It is run by a number of youth workers from the area who work voluntarily for the project.
8.28 Young people were unanimous in their praise of the centre and viewed it as the focal point of their week. It was viewed as a facility that "kept them off the streets" and a safe place where they come and meet friends and make new friends without the constraints of an over-bearing adult presence.
"This is the only thing you can do in the area. Friday and Saturday, that's all you look forward to." Female, Dennistoun
"You can just come up here and relax and you don't have any trouble because you don't need to be on the street for people to pull you up... And all the people in here, all the workers, they deserve a merit for what they do." Male, Dennistoun
8.29 Whilst the youngsters did praise the work of the centre some were critical of the fact that there was nothing available for them to do week day evenings. They all expressed a desire for activities to be held during the week.
"During the week? We sometimes hang around the streets, but it isn't all that brilliant, we usually go in a lot earlier than on Friday and Saturday in here, but there's nothing really to do is there?" Female Dennistoun
"If this closed, if this closes it's just going to be trouble. Because all of us are going to be out on the street and if we are out in the street then people are going to be bored and people will feel intimidated. They're not going to like it hanging about the street when they are used to having a club to come up to." Female, Dennistoun
8.30 The young people in Knightswood agreed that there was a complete lack of facilities in the area. When asked if they would attend any of the centres in the neighbouring areas the response was entirely negative. Each young person spoken with stated that there was nothing to do in the area. A number of the youngsters stated that they had attended projects in the past but that they only ran a couple of nights a week (not weekends) and did not offer much in terms of resources.
"You don't do anything [at the youth club] you just sit and draw pictures." Female, Knightswood
8.31 The lack of activities was also stressed by the local police sergeant as a legitimate and serious problem in the area. He expressed concern about the number of off licenses in the area that sold alcohol to juveniles and stated that one of the police priorities in the area was to close down off licenses who sold alcohol to those underage. He viewed the level of under-age drinking because of the lack of youth facilities in the area.
8.32 The young people all had ideas about the facilities they would like in the area and these ranged from dance classes, sport and football. One young person stated that a survey should be carried out in the area to obtain young people's views about what resources they would like in the area. They acknowledged that it is difficult to provide activities that everybody would like and that a survey would provide this information.
8.33 The focus groups in Sauchie were undertaken at the community resource centre and the local secondary school. Only 3 young people attended the session at the community centre and there wasn't a youth centre that the team could attend to engage with young people, which is why the local school had to be used. During the research at Sauchie the team were able to speak with community leaders who all expressed a concern that there were no youth facilities in Sauchie. The issue of territoriality was raised, as youngsters from Sauchie did not feel safe enough visiting the town of Alloa to attend the activities run there.
8.34 The young people agreed that Sauchie has no youth facilities that they can use. Many of the young people criticised the fact that any youth facilities that had been on offer in the area had since been closed down.
"They use to have Sauchie Hall…it's still there but nothing in it…bingo for old folk." Male, Sauchie
8.35 The young people accounted in detail the fact that the neighbouring town of Alloa has a number of facilities including skateboard parks and a leisure centre. The majority of them expressed concern about visiting Alloa.
"You've got zones in Alloa to go skateboarding. But I can't go to Alloa." Male, Sauchie
"In Alloa, they have got the leisure bowls, and everything. We used to have the gym and a youth club and it just went away." Male, Sauchie
8.36 They complained that the facilities they were provided with were not adequate.
"They put these five-a-side football posts up [but] where they put them, there were no lights at all. They expect you to go and play football in the dark." Male, Sauchie
8.37 When asked what types of facilities they would like to see in the area responses ranged from a leisure centre, swimming pool, a youth club, football and discos. One young person made the point that facilities should be offered prior to a dispersal authorisation and if young people still cause trouble then there is justification for the use of the powers.
"At least give it a go first. I mean, if they give us the arcade and it still does not work then fine, the dispersal order. But if they get an arcade and [levels of antisocial behaviour] dies down, leave us with that." Male, Sauchie
Summary
8.38 The majority of young people across the three areas had some knowledge of the dispersal powers and this knowledge came from posters, leaflets and presentations in local schools.
8.39 Young people in this study spoke of being warned, "booked" or "lifted." There was little clarification as to what constituted an "official" dispersal. The lack of clarity of language suggests that there was not a clear understanding of what the power required from those people who were dispersed.
8.40 There was belief among young people that police were being over-zealous in their application of the powers and were going beyond the provisions of the legislation to move people on who were merely present without any reference to their previous or current behaviour.
8.41 There was a resounding feeling amongst the young people that the powers had been used unfairly and unjustly by the police. Young people spoken to all described similar experiences of being warned, booked or dispersed for what the Scottish Executive's official guidance refers to as "gathering peacefully in the streets to meet and enjoy each other's company." The lack of consistency of the attitudes among officers was cited as a source of resentment and young people criticised police for the tone of voice and language used towards them, which they felt, betrayed a prejudice.
8.42 Whilst young people generally felt that the powers were unnecessary in their respective area they did acknowledge that certain residents such as the elderly could feel intimidated by large groups of teenagers hanging around. Most of their criticism was directed at the short-term nature of (or lack) quality youth facilities where they lived.
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