Eltham Vue cinema sees emergency services after “fireworks set off inside”
The emergency services are currently at Eltham’s Vue Cinema after people reportedly set off fireworks inside the building.
It has been evacuated according to witnesses.
UPDATE: People are now being allowed back inside.
It’s not the only incident tonight with fireworks. There are reports that Lidl in Woolwich was targeted and closed by police, with a heavy presence in the town centre.
Shops and takeaways in Welling are also reported to have seen similar.
Police state tonight is the busiest of the year for them – and there’s many hours to go yet.
This kind of stupid childish behaviour could cause people serious injury or a major fire. We have seen this happen in other Countries where people have actually lost their lives.
If caught they should be given custodial sentences in young offenders instituites or in prison if aged 18 or over for endangering peoples lives. These incidents could have been much much worse and must be treated with the upmost seriousness by the Police and Courts.
A point you made recently about the lack of opportunity for youth is at play here and I think this will become much, much worse in the next few years. Every newspaper and media feed reports on the dire state for employment & housing for millennials: imagine how teenagers react to that. If degree educated workers are living solely to service rent, what will happen to the youth? If a society has no place or stake for those in it, then one may feel no obligation to be a useful part of it.
You need only look at the recent news reports with entitled thirtysomethings demanding the vote be taken from the over-70s. A teenager who is facing the prospect of unskilled work after college or £30k+ debt to attend university may not feel as though society has any place for them. We are marginalising teens, pensioners, the disabled, the unemployed and ordinary families everyday by pricing them out of existence. People will show their dissatisfaction and for teenagers it’s usually with something stupid, something dangerous and sometimes even life-altering.
I fully agree with Graham above, but shouldn’t there be considered a complete ban on the sale of fireworks to individuals? They should be available only for public displays by recognised organisations.
I was travelling home last night on a bus through Woolwich centre. It was chaos. Gangs everywhere setting off fireworks towards buses. Pretty scary stuff actually. There were some police, but clearly not enough
Delightful behaviour. Dumb scum.
I totally agree with with you Tim. There should be a complete ban on the sale of fireoworks. There should only be allowed for organised displays which are properly controlled and meet all the safety guide lines.
More money must be invested in Youth Services to provide Youth Centres and support to our young people. Many who have nothing to do and just hang around the streest getting bored.
Getting involved in sports and drama groups for example can be one way of getting involved in other activites. These have turned out some of our most famous sports stars and actors.
We know a lot of incidents are also related to gang related crimes. So we need more Social Workers and Support Workers going in to Schools and Colleges to work with children and teenagers and talk to them about the dangers of getting involved in gangs before they are recruited in to gangs.
I am a ‘Liberal Lefty’ however I think we should stop using the excuses that successive governments have failed youths by not investing in Youth Centres or youth workers for the abhorrent behaviour of some teenagers. The fault is with the family unit these young people are raised in as they are not being ‘socialised’ about societal norms and expectations. Unfortunately successive governments have allowed it to be possible for irresponsible people to have children that grow up to be irresponsible and that is where the fault lies. NB I am not yearning for a return to ‘Victorian values’ nor God, Queen and Country attitudes.
The family unit is either not parenting (morally guiding/teaching/enriching) the young people effectively or the young person is refusing to take responsibility for their actions. The teenagers that have let off fireworks in a public area for their own amusement are, obviously, lacking emotional intelligence, maturity and empathy towards their fellow citizens. Building a Youth Centre will not resolve this behaviour; making the parent(s) responsible and accountable for their children’s actions will resolve this behaviour.
Working in a school makes me very aware some parent(s) believe raising a child is the responsibility of teachers, social workers, GPs, counsellors, etc rather than themselves unless it suits them (parent(s)). I’m sure these teenagers will not find it amusing or ‘banter’ if someone let off fireworks in their home or destroyed their personal possessions through wanton vandalism. It should also be remembered these young people are very much in the minority; I’m sure many of their peers were with family, completing homework/studying, working part-time, pursuing hobbies, etc.
I also think the instant gratification and need for approval associated with social media is responsible for a rise in anti-social behaviour. ‘When I were a lad’ (I’m 39) Halloween was secondary to Guy Fawkes Night but now Halloween has breed ‘Mischief Night’ and the need to ‘out-do’ peers with anti-social behaviour. This has resulted in the police and fire services having to deal with the stupid behaviour of young people, potentially at the expense of more serious crime and disorder.
I totally agree with your comments Liam. Parents do need to take much more reposbility for thier childrens behaviour in and outside the home.