Anyone for some Jack O’Lantern Soup?

Jack-O-Lantern

It’s that time of year again… Another day when elderly and frail people up and down the land are sitting in trepidation, fearful of the onset of darkness as the day draws to an early close. But on this occasion, despite the lengthening of the evenings, (unusually) it’s nothing to do with a fear of alcohol fuelled anti-social behaviour, although that may well play it’s part. No, tonight the less robust in our society, never mind the rest of us, are to be descended upon by hoards of menacing kids.

Many a portcullis of our humble domestic castles right across the land will be subjected to incessant hammering, that or at the very least, some constant and heavy leaning upon the bell push. But all to what avail as we answer this call of undoubted urgency? As we throw wide open our welcoming gates, it is difficult to predict what we will be confronted with, despite some hopeful expectations.

On Trick-or-treat night we can be met with anything… From the cute little child (accompanied by Mommy) dressed in (often expensive) carefully thought out appropriate seasonal attire of the day. A shy child sporting a happy smile whilst almost singing “Trick-or-Treat” in a squeaky trill but friendly innocent voice. And all with the best (mainly American) traditions of the custom in mind.

Trick-or-treating: a customary practice for children on Halloween in many countries. Children in costumes travel from house to house in order to ask for treats such as candy (or, in some cultures, money) with the question “Trick or treat?”. The “trick” is a (usually idle) threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. In North America, trick or treat has been a customary Halloween tradition since at least the late 1950s… (Wikipedia.org)

At the opposite extreme we are met with a group of two or three feckless spotty thugs dressed in bin liners, always assuming they’ve actually bothered to venture anywhere near the spirit of the event. They may grunt the required words but when challenged on the meaning they smugly answer; ”gi us sum stuff mate or we’ll mash y’ur motor!”

Before the 1980s, the phrase “trick-or-treat” was little known in the United Kingdom… Since the 80s usage of the phrase has become more widespread, but is often viewed as an exotic and unwelcome commercialised import, with the BBC referring to it as “the Japanese knotweed of festivals” and “Making demands with menaces”. Very often, the phrase “trick-or-treat” is simply said and the revellers offered sweets, with the choice of a trick or a treat having been largely discarded…(Wikipedia.org)

It’s hardly any wonder that according to the findings of a recent UK survey; ”around a fifth of people are in favour of a ban on trick or treating” this year (The Press Association). Having said that, I suspect the suggested link between the riots of last August and Trick-or-Treat, as mentioned in the survey is to say the very least, somewhat tenuous!

Suffice it to say, my particular gourd won’t be carved into some ornate grotesque source of light… Anyone for a warming bowl of spicey roasted pumpkin soup?

Related articles

• What I Know About Halloween and What it Means to Me (gwendolynndedanaan.wordpress.com)
• Trick or Treat, Sick or Sweet? (4mothers1blog.wordpress.com)
• 13 Things You Might Not Know About Halloween (ladypunch1.wordpress.com)
• Halloween…Trick or Treat?? (virtualdivadiary.wordpress.com)

Pizza danger!

Image via Wikipedia

Last month I was astounded when a local man became the victim of robbery, not that a robbery is uncommon these days (despite the somewhat engineered decline suggested by crime statistics) however, the circumstances of this particular offence were.

The victim, a bloke in his 30′s, was walking home across a park when he was set about by a group of four youths, they verbally abused him and knocked him to the ground then stole his pizza. I had to wonder; were the poor kids from the nearby social housing so starving they had to attack a man for food or, were the offenders simply peckish after all the exercise and fun of kicking hell out of the victim?

This week a murder investigation was started by North Yorkshire Police after the death of a 17-year-old boy who was attacked outside College Pizzas in Stokesley.

Telegraph.co.uk: Friends said the teenager, named locally as Daniel Crowther, was attacked after refusing to let a group of youths push into the queue at the pizza takeaway in a North Yorkshire market town… (Read more)

Even though full details of both incidents are not (yet) in the public domain, surely we should be asking; what is happening to our society when a man can be attacked and a boy can actually lose his life over something so trivial as a bloody pizza? (My heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to Daniel’s family and friends – A youth has subsequently been charged and is due to appear at court – see here)

Irrespective of apparent declining social standards, any perceived neighborhood deprivation, or indeed the inherent intolerance and anger displayed by many when interacting with others; a major impact upon the prevalence of anti-social behaviour and violence in our society must be laid at the feet of our police force. They and the remainder of the Criminal Justice System as a whole. The areas of officialdom we have in place (and entrust on our behalf) to influence and/or enforce our boundaries of socially acceptable behaviour. Public entities that I suggest are, in many respects (and unfortunately), failing in their duty to the society they are put in place to serve. A worrying situation that is actually set to get worse not better, at least in the short-term.

Despite all the government assurances issued in recent months, and subsequent platitudes about “doing more with less” offered up by many chief police officers the fact remains; our police service is not effectively delivering what the public demand and society requires. The decline in service to our communities is set to worsen in reality, especially in rural areas like North Yorkshire. Areas where, despite increases in establishment over recent years, the actual geography of the area has almost as much impact upon resource availability as do officer numbers. Resources that are required and available to respond to increasing public demand, usually at times of dire need. Resources that in real terms are often at a level 50% lower than they actually were more than twenty years ago.

This worrying factor is acknowledged by those who actually serve and protect us however; many of them are also just as concerned as the people who live and work in the communities they police. They are frustrated that, despite offering much evidence to support their calls to limit frontline cuts, their comments and observations born out of expertise and experience, are falling on deaf ears and they are unable to do anything to reverse the problem…  

Mark Botham, Chair of North Yorkshire Police Federation warns: “The message from police officers in North Yorkshire is loud and clear. They feel they are being hit from all sides by this government who, in addition to attacking their terms and conditions, are imposing a 20 percent cut on the service which will undoubtedly lead to increased levels of crime and a poorer service for the public in North Yorkshire… (Read more)

In most parts of the public sector, currently subjected to government austerity measures, there are many proposals having a negative impact upon service delivery. Despite all the assurances given by organisational leaders and the politicians, most of them also appear destined to be greater than expected. The police service is not alone in experiencing this negativity, the underlying cause actually has a common denominator.

In many respects, the perpetrators of all these problems are actually the self-preserving management (and bureaucratic structures) which the measures were designed to remove. They are what makes buying a pizza dangerous!

Related articles

• Schoolboy, 17, dies after assault outside takeaway (telegraph.co.uk)
• Murder inquiry over teenage death (bbc.co.uk)