TOO scared to leave their home, residents living in a town under siege from violent teenage girls are at their wits’ end.
Stores have been left trashed, car windows smashed and graffiti plastered on high-street shops by the wayward yobs – and even cops can’t get a handle on the out-of-control teens, claim locals.
The shocking crime wave in Shirley, Southampton, has forced Hampshire Constabulary to step in and issue multiple dispersal orders in a bid to stamp out the anti-social behaviour.
But a recent spate of violent attacks in the area has been linked to gangs of girls, with one local shop owner sharing horror CCTV footage of the vile abuse with The Sun.
Subway manager, Naani Sheik, says his store has become a target for youths aged 13 to 16 over the last few months.
He shows a clip of a foul-mouthed teenage girl hurling abuse at one Subway worker and attempting to smash the shop door before egging on her friend to finish the job.
The two feral youths in the footage are thought to be part of a wider gang of young teens who have been causing misery at a shopping precinct in Southampton for months.
In the shocking footage, the girl shouts “What the f**k you recording me for? What the f**k?” before telling her mates to break the door down.
The worried worker can be heard on the phone to police, as first a male youth takes a run at the door before the blonde-haired girl’s friend slams it with her foot, shattering it and running away.
An emotional Mr Sheik told The Sun: “On the day it[the door] was smashed, I had asked the gang to leave and locked the door after a drinks machine was broken. They just went mad.
“The gang trash the store, steal food, threaten staff and break equipment.
“One of them stole the whole cookie display cabinet, so I have had a special one made now that is bolted to the counter.”
He says the door cost him £216 to repair.
It’s one of many incidents of anti-social behaviour in recent months.
In April, a wave of anti-social behaviour linked to girls in Shirley became so bad, cops laid on extra patrols in the area.
Two girls aged 13 and 14 were issued dispersal orders as a result and one was arrested for ignoring the order.
In the same month another teenage girl was arrested for allegedly threatening shoppers in the local Co-op with a pair of scissors.
And in June a 14 year old girl was arrested after spraying a Pep & Co security guard with foam and damaging a shop door.
Just weeks ago, the owner of a food truck in Shirley said violent teens “crushed his dreams” after torching his van and putting him out of business.
From two o’clock in the evening, we are on edge. We phone up the police and we get nothing.
Resident
There were 367 crimes reported in the area across March 2024, which surged to 447 in March earlier this year and despite the police crackdown, terrified residents say not much has changed.
Mr Sheik has collected videos and photos of those involved and sent them to the police but says little has been done to stop the out-of-control gangs.
He adds: “Everyday I am ringing the police or uploading videos to 101. An officer sometimes comes down, but one of them told me they were “kids just playing, having fun.’
“It’s not playing its criminal damage.”
‘Living in fear’
Other footage captured from his store shows youths brazenly stealing cookies in broad daylight.
In another incident highlighting the chaos, local business Sunnyday International Foods had its window smashed.
The Co-op on Foyes Corner stores in the precinct has also restricted the number of unsupervised children allowed in after-school times.
It comes as cops were forced to hold a PACT – Police and Community Together – meeting last month in which angry business owners and residents said they were afraid to go to work because of the gang.
At the meeting, police said they were “working tirelessly” to tackle the shocking spike in antisocial behaviour
But residents, of whom more than 50 attended, said the gang were now ruining all the hard work that had been done to improve the local area.
One woman who works at the library in the precinct told how staff were living in fear of the gang saying: “From two o’clock in the evening, we are on edge. We phone up the police and we get nothing.
“You know why they are doing this? Because it’s fun.
“It is not fun for us to come to work. People are beginning to get frightened in their own homes.”
In the precinct, nearly every business has been hit by the gangs who congregate on benches in the centre, abusing shoppers.
Mr Sheik says he believes the gang, some of whom wear school uniforms, post footage of their antics to social media.
He added: “They seem really proud of what they do, but now when I see them arrive in the precinct, I start getting really anxious; it’s affecting my mental health.
“I tried another tactic of befriending them and saying they could sit in the shop and have water while they chatted. It worked for a day, then they started vaping or smoking and bullying customers.”
He has been putting some photos of the gang on social media in the hopes that the school they attend will recognise them, or their parents will take action.
The gang trash the store, steal food, threaten staff and break equipment. They just went mad.”
Mr Naana Sheik, Subway manager
Next door to the Subway, Sunnyday International Food has also had its shop window smashed.
A worker inside who wished to remain anonymous said: “The kids come in here and steal stuff. They kicked the window until it broke. It is just mindless.”
At the mobile phone shop, a staff member told how they now hid vapes away because the gang had stolen so many.
He said: “They come in on mass and just going round doing all sorts, it’s impossible to stop them.”
At Peacocks on the high street, a shop assistant revealed how the gang have been climbing all over the roof of the store, spraying graffiti on it and throwing stones and eggs at people while drinking alcohol.
She said: “They used to come into the store, but security staff got rid of them, so now they go on the roof.
“They also completely smashed up a van in the car park. They are completely out of control.”
Despite business owners claiming nothing is being done to tackle the gang, cops have said they are taking action.
In a statement, Hampshire police said: “We are investigating a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour, carried out by a small group of teenagers in and around Shirley High Street.
“As part of our ongoing work to tackle this, we have implemented extra patrols throughout the day in the area, as well as utilising dispersal orders and other powers available to the police in order to remove the group from the area when they are behaving in this manner.
“Officers have also arrested a 14-year-old girl from Southampton, who is reported to be most often involved in incidents of anti-social behaviour in the area, as part of broader enquiries, and our work to find the appropriate outcome for this investigation is ongoing, and involves a number of our partner agencies from outside of policing as well.
“Our local bobby for Shirley is also working closely with businesses in the area, spending time visiting, particularly when out on patrol, to provide them with reassurance and ensure they can share any concerns or further reports they may have.
“While this anti-social behaviour has involved a small group of teenagers, we are acutely aware of the impact it has on the local community, and we are working hard to tackle this.”
Councillor Christie Lambert, Cabinet Member for Communities and Safer City at Southampton City Council, told The Sun: “Southampton City Council is profoundly saddened by the recent surge in anti-social and criminal behaviour, predominantly involving youths, which has cast a shadow over one of our most beloved high streets.
“We recognise the significantly negative impact these deplorable acts have had on our local businesses and their dedicated owners, and it is entirely unacceptable that they have been subjected to such distress and hardship.
“With serious challenges in a lack of local police resource on Southampton’s high streets, we are incredibly grateful for the Council’s youth justice team and community partners who are working with these young people, providing crucial support and guidance to help them make better choices.
“Criminal behaviour in our city will not be tolerated, and, as a council, we remain dedicated to ensuring Southampton remains a safe and supportive community for all to thrive in and enjoy.
“To that end, I would encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses anti-social behaviour of any kind to report it. Every report is crucial and helps us to identify areas of need, so we can work towards more targeted solutions.”
The dire situation has now left residents wanting to take action themselves, threatening to handcuff youths to lampposts “with their name and address hung round their neck”.
Despite cops promising to curb the surge in crime, locals are growing increasingly distrustful and frustrated in a suburb where violent scenes are becoming increasingly familiar.
