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CCTV Shows Teen Girls Menacing Shirley High Street as Shopkeepers Plead for Action

Police point to summer resource strains with child safeguards shaping their response.

Overview

  • New footage highlights months of window-smashing, theft, fires and threats on the Southampton-area strip, including a clip of a girl saying police will not help.
  • Shopkeepers say the harassment is escalating and harming trade, with Muhammad Usman and Nnenna Okonkwo describing feeling helpless and exposed.
  • A BBC interview with several girls includes an admission of threats and assaults, with one teen citing an adrenaline rush and the loss of sport after an injury.
  • Hampshire Police say they have responded to as many reports as possible but must balance calls during a busy summer period and apply age-appropriate consequences.
  • Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones urges a shift that engages parents and young people, calling some of the acts horrible and nasty.