Filliping Civilians in Terror,

Finally, it's here. Gang culture is now on my doorstep.

As usual, I played football on Friday evening. I managed to loosen up the worn joints to get through it quite smartly. Afterwards, I was dropped off close to home, at the bottom of the cul-de-sac where I live, and unfortunately, right in the middle of a battle. They numbered 50 or 60 and there were more in cars following our warriors. There was one lot to the right and one lot to the left, there was the car I was getting out of. I scarpered up to my house.

Living in a cul-de-sac has its advantages: parking that is virtually offstreet, a bit of street to play in (those days are now gone) and the neighbours should find it easier to unite. In this case, I was able to retreat with my life and watch the various factions tear back and forth with their iron bars, knives and missiles. They made a terrible racket. It was one "YOUNG TEEM" versus the other - sadly, I am a duffer and uneligible.

The police station phonelines were engaged. I assume the other neighbours were reporting this scene also. The police arrived after 30 minutes of warfare. Someone could have been killed in that time. It's true that the police might be busy, I wouldn't have thought it would be hard to keep track of such a big group, especially when they were making so much noise and stopping traffic.

These Young Teems have been in operation for quite a while, but it's only now that they're marauding the streets so blatantly. I suggest that in the summer months, they can fight on the playing fields or the wild land and now, like moths, they have followed the lights to civilisation.

I proposed in my previous article that people should walk more and recapture the streets. Having been in amongst the battle, this is obviously an unattractive solution. There are obviously many people who can be blamed; the police, the politicians, the educators and, most importantly, the parents. It will take a death before someone takes decisive action.

It's anarchy out there.