Bouley Bashers Say Their Rights Are Being Breached

[MartinSullivan]

Bouley Bashers - The Herald (http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/34946.html)

[minidriver#1]

they have a point. the thing is though that many of them do nothing to help distinguish themselves from the trouble makers.

[sleepyrascal]

quote:Originally posted by KJ_innit

they have a point. the thing is though that many of them do nothing to help distinguish themselves from the trouble makers.


Very true!

[Sheilz]

I've gone down the beach on two or three occasions to meet with someone I know. The subject of boullie bashing/cruising and harrassment by the police was a hot topic. have to say I did see a few who would've deserved to have the book thrown at them but these were by far and away the minority of car owners. The regular police cars were supplemented by two unmarked police cars - nine officers in total. Given that this was 1am on a Saturday I would have expected the police to be using their resources more appropriately, especially since Grampian has one of the poorest crime clear-up rates in Scotland. Personally I'd prefer the police to tackle proper crime rather than chasing easy targets.
While I have no sympathy with irresponsible idiots who put their own and other people's lives at risk the current campaign is OTT. Boullie bashing has been part of the beach culture long before the flats were there. What would happen if the residents on say Anderson Drive started moaning about the cars and lorries thundering past their houses? Would we see a campaign against Joe Bloggs driver?
On this one I'm with the 'kids' and the 'young at heart'. I'd prefer to see the Chief Constable directing resources to tackle the problems associated with drugs etc. Those nine police officers would have been much more effective on Union St.
(sorry I just hate injustice!)

[minidriver#1]

The argument about police not using their resources appropriately is a weak one. The police are made up of several different departments and agencies each working on different tasks. There are groups of officers allocated to specific jobs, perhaps a rota scheme. I'd say cracking down on wreckless drivers is a good use of police resources... would you be using that argument if a family member was to have been run down by a boy racer?

The blame is not with the police, how it could be is beyond me. The blame lies solely on the cruising community for not doing enough to show this minority that their behavious will not be tollerated among their ranks.

I have also read recently that drug use is rife amongst the Boullie bashers, so i guess you could argue that this is perhaps what has justified the allocation of the 9 law enforcement officers.

[Big Col]

I think blaming the police is a bit of an odd thing to do too. The police don't cause the crime. I son't know where this place is as I aint from around there but the chances are this kind of mass gathering scares the surrounding residents silly and even if the "few" are in the minority, until there are none of them the police are quite right to be there. The dangers of cars being driven recklessly are too long to list and calling it injustice to have the police there to keep an eye on things is ridiculous. Also, drawing a comparison between people complaining about a mass gathering of young people in cars, some of whom behave recklessly, and people complaining about a busy road is also ridiculous. Finally, suggesting the police should ignore obvious crime because it's an easy target is totally beyond me. I feel sorry for the genuine people that go there that don't cause any trouble and are just passionate about cars but if you stand in a place where other people are being dangerous and reckless then thee police watching you is the price you pay.

[The Dogfather]

You've got nothing to fear if you're not doing anything wrong..... but Sheilz is right the police's current approach is far too heavy handed. However the rights of the local residents also need to be looked after regardless of who was there first, the solution: -

The police need to allow the Boulie Bashers to meet up but this need to be in an area away from the residents, like just down the promenade between Footdie and the Cinema. The area must then be appropriately policed to clamp down on the small minority of Boulie Bashers who race and driving like dicks.

Trouble is the Police and council are looking to create headlines to justify their budgets for next year so common sense won't prevail!

[Big Col]

Why is the police approach heavy handed? I don't live in Aberdeen so I don't know but do they arrest loads of people? Stop loads of people and ask loads to produce their documents? Do they issue a lot of tickets?

[The Dogfather]

Just being there in numbers those number is enough. Considering that at most there would be 100 boule bashers at the beach at that time, 9 officers would mean effectively 1 police officer to 11 boule bashers which in my mind is excessive.

I reckon that sort of presence would be pretty intimidating, and therefore heavy handed.

[Big Col]

1 officer to every 11 people? That sounds about right to me.

[The Dogfather]

An average premiership football match would have roughly 25 - 100 police for 25-60000 fans (source - Leicester University)which is a ratio of 1 to 60 at most.

Considering that trouble is far more likely to occur at a football match rather than the boule I would say that the police approach is heavy handed, there should be 1-2 officers at the beach at most! I'm not sure about this but surely if any of the boule bashers who aren't breaking the law feel intimidated by the police then this is an infringement of their civil rights?

[Big Col]

Ok you can't compare a football match to a cruise. For a start you're also clearly not including the number of police officers outside the ground at football matches because that number is far far higher than 100. There are also more officers brought on at the start and end of a match. There is also the grounds own security staff to call upon and most matches have horses etc. Also 100 young people milling about a carpark at 9 at niht is far more intimidating to local people than a football match is. There are also people that misbehave as others on here have admitted and if there are 100 people there 2 police officers would be WAY out of their depth if anything kicked off.

They don't stop the people meeting and they don't interere with anyone behaving themselves. I think the police are spot on.

[The Dogfather]

Why can't I compare a football match with a cruise, both are gatherings of groups of people with similar interests which has the potential for laws to be broken, right?

I checked the figures for an average premiership football match there is 25 - 100 police officers, no more. I reckon there's actually less than 100 people at the beach boule (which covers at least 1 mile) but I took a higher figure to as a worse case scenario. The security staff you are referring to aren't police and they are there for health and safety reasons not to tackle crowd trouble, that's the polices job!

I would suggest that the Beach meets have been going on with relatively little trouble for at least 5 years, I've checked the local rag and the worst offence would be speeding (no gatsos on the beach), the same can't be said for football matches (I can supply the arrest statistics for the last years premiership if you'd like :D). So comparing like for like the police action at the beach would seem to be heavy handed....

I'm not saying they shouldn't be there at all just that the numbers are excessive this heavy handed approach will just drive the problem elsewhere. There are other ways of tackling the problem!

[AberdeenMini]

I support Sheila on the matter. The current campaigne is way OTT. The police seem to have a 'one rule for all' policy where they view everyone the same. Instead of wasting resources on deploying officers to intimidate the people to go down there to socialise they should get to the source of the problem, the few people who do go down to the boully to race. By treating the 95% of the folk who go down there like the 5% who actually are trouble makers is only avoiding the real issue, the problem 5%.

[Big Col]

Well. In my very humble opinion, until the 95% do more to disassociate themselves from the 5% the police get my full support.

[The Dogfather]

quote:Originally posted by Big Col
Well. In my very humble opinion, until the 95% do more to disassociate themselves from the 5% the police get my full support.


How does someone do that? Wear a badge?

[Big Col]

If 95% of people told the 5% to f*ck right off when they acted up the 5% would f*ck right off. The fact it's accepted and not condemned means the people keep turning up.

Anywho...that's my two bobs worth. I better do some work. :)

[The Dogfather]

Fair enough Col, but your arguement is a slippery slope, in my humble opinion. Take it to a wider context.... and an extreme example!

What if we allowed the police to intimidate other groups because of a small minority that break the law! Where would it end?

[Big Col]

Mate I think you need to go for a lie down in a darkened room. Have some horlicks or something.

[sleepyrascal]

The police tarring everyone with the same brush is unfortunately the way things have to be in my mind. They aren’t mystic meg! :D

Also, I can't help but find it strange that guys aged 30 and upwards sit down at the beach with girls as young as 14. I've seen them!

A relative of mine stopped going to the beach because of the drug problem.

The crackdown on speeding and loud music clouds the other police targets (this is not by mistake) such as drugs, driving without insurance, underage driving, un-raodworthy cars, stolen cars, drug dealing, fighting etc, ALL of which ARE a regular occurrence down at the beach, although you might not even know it!

Still sound like a cause worth supporting? It needs to clean up its act before I would ever say the police were in the wrong.

I totally see the appeal however!! REALLY!! And I know not everybody is guilty of the above (far from it) but if you go there and cruise about, your going to be viewed as a bully basher by the coppers and your gona be tarred with the aforementioned brush, until things start to improve.

Ahhhhhhh... THE END.:cool:

[The Dogfather]

I'm not supporting the bully bashers, just saying the police reaction is over the top and could actually stir up more trouble.

[Sheilz]

I didn't blame the police for the existence of cruising in Aberdeen. The topic is about the rights of the 'boullie bashers' not who is responsible for it.

My experience and knowledge of the cruising scene is limited to what I've been told and what I witnessed on the very rare occasions I've been there. I dont know anything at all about drugs at the beach so I cant comment on that at all though I would hazard a reasonable guess that if it is a problem there it is as nothing compared to the problem of drugs in the pubs and clubs which would have been heaving with people at that time of morning. I think it would also be fair to say that there would have been more underage and vulnerable kids in the pubs and clubs than there would have been at the beach. Surely sleepy isn't implying that 14 year old girls in the company of 30 year old men is the norm among the cruisers? How would it compare to the number of very young girls able to pass themselves off as being older who were either drunk or out of their faces in the pubs and clubs and in the company of older boys/men, not all of whom would be aware of their real ages or indeed even care?

I did see drivers being stopped for having such things as lights out, off-road licence plates etc. According to my friend these are the most common infringements that people get stopped for. The majority of the cruisers gather down at the seea front away from the flat and aren't interested in causing nuisance to anyone.
I've never seen anything remotely like a hundred cars their, certainly not at the same time, though I cant really say that never happens. Maybe some of them do play loud music but in terms of the noise, caused by music and screaming, fighting teenagers the residents of Ferryhill, a highly-populated area have to contend with because of the mass of pubs and clubs that have been allowed to mushroom on their doorsteps, the complaints from the flat residents appears petty by comparison.

Is it really any more acceptable to label all cruisers as troublemakers etc than it is to do likewise with all who frequent pubs and clubs where dealing is a major problem?

I would say No.

[sleepyrascal]

I hear ya sheilz. Not implying that all cruisers hang out with 14 year olds. Tried to make that clear:

"And I know not everybody is guilty of the above (far from it)"

I have nothing against people who go down to the beach and I have nothing against the idea of going there. I go myself sometimes. I was just making the point that the police cannot just magically know who the trouble makers are.

As for town, drinkers are regulated by bouncers. If your too pissed, you dont get in. If your cought dealing drugs, your chucked out, if your cought with an underage girl, you get the s*it kicked out of you, then chucked out. This is an attempt to filter out the people who want to cause trouble. I worked as a duty manager in a city centre bar for almost two years and we certainly tarred everyone with the same brush until they were regulars. Serched at random etc. This is what they are trying to do at the beach. Keep the people who are there to have a laugh and not cause trouble, and get rid of the trouble makers.

I dont think there will ever be a solution that suits everyone!

[Big Col]

quote:Originally posted by Sheilz

the complaints from the flat residents appears petty by comparison.


What would you rather have across from your house late at night? A pub or a car park full of people in cars playing loud music and revving engines?

[john]

quote:Originally posted by Big Col


quote:Originally posted by Sheilz

the complaints from the flat residents appears petty by comparison.


What would you rather have across from your house late at night? A pub or a car park full of people in cars playing loud music and revving engines?


Would this PUB have a late licence and would the staff help me home when its closing time?:clown::clown::D

[sleepyrascal]

[/quote]

Would this PUB have a late licence and would the staff help me home when its closing time?:clown::clown::D
[/quote]

A point worth thinking about :D

[Sheilz]

Neither! Think if I was forced to choose would opt for the cars, hopefully they wouldn't use my garden as a toilet or be tempted to trash my car for the hell of it. Both regular problems experienced by residents around the town centre.

The bb's aren't gathering outside houses. They gather in what is essentially a leisure & recreation area with the fairground on one side and the beach ballroom on the other. Anyone parking outside the flats and houses near the top of the boullie get shifted pronto.

[X30YES]

quote:Originally posted by Big Col
Well. In my very humble opinion, until the 95% do more to disassociate themselves from the 5% the police get my full support.
Aye give the 5 % a good thumping I say , nand a few extra 5 as well just to make sure you catch them all ,then torch the cars :p, soon be on about the poor wee lassies that hing aboot the docks next :approve::approve:
exit left or is that Right or way RIGHT:D

[Sheilz]

Angus, have you enough room in they cheeks of yours for your tongue?
:D:D:D

[X30YES]

quote:Originally posted by Sheilz

Angus, have you enough room in they cheeks of yours for your tongue?
:D:D:D
:dead::p:dead::p:D