Naturally parents like to think the best of their offspring even when the local community is on the receiving end of their anti-social behaviour.
Video evidence collected by the police using overt and covert vehicle mounted CCTV systems can be a real wake up call and is particularly useful in hotspots not covered by static solutions; some mobile CCTV surveillance units even have a facility for parents to view recorded footage in the vehicle.
The results can be impressive, in one village a group of up to 70 youths were congregating in the evening outside a local store near a busy road junction. As well as causing problems for the store and local residents this presented a hazard for vehicles whose view was being obstructed. By talking to the youths and showing their parents the footage, the problem was dramatically reduced and police attention could then be focused on a hard core of offenders.