There was an "incident"

in our local shopping centre on Monday.  I was sitting having a lovely iced drink with my good friend L... when we and others were disturbed by a group of boys riding their bikes through the centre itself.

Riding bikes or skateboards through the centre is of course banned. It is banned for very good reasons. In the past there has been the occasional rider, some "kid" who usually gets off and walks when told to do so.

On Monday afternoon it was a different story. There were five of them to begin with and, a little later, seven. They were riding their mountain style bikes past the tiny cafe which sits between one of the supermarkets and the newsagent. They were weaving in and out of the pedestrians, some of them elderly and others with young children. They were shouting to one another and, when told to stop, turned on those speaking to them and used words that would have had me or my siblings given a walloping and grounded for more than a week.

People began to film them on their phones but it made no difference. Those people just found themselves being threatened. My friend L... and I sat still. We did not want to add to the potential for the situation to escalate. 

Eventually they headed off...but not outside. L... went one way and I went another and came across them again. I was knocked to one side as one of them came rushing past me. It did not knock me off my feet but it would have done had I not been holding on to a shopping trolley. Ahead of me an elderly man I know by sight was also knocked against and it was only someone else's quick reaction which caused him not to fall. He sat down on one of the seats looking shaken.

I'd had enough by then because the boys were ahead of me and still shouting and arguing with the customers and the shop keepers. I rang the emergency number and asked to be connected to the police. It only took a moment. I tried to be calm and reasonable but I must have sounded anxious. I told the person who answered what was going on and that I was worried the situation could escalate. 

And then, something very strange happened. The voice at the other end said, "Is that you Cat? Are you all right? Are you still at...? " I assume the police have access to a data base of registered phone  numbers but this person seemed to know me. I still don't know who I was talking to but I could hear someone else in the control room say, "Yes, someone else reporting it too...and there's been another one."

I just said "thank you" when I was told a patrol car was on the way but I do wonder to whom I was talking. 

On my way home I saw the trouble makers. They had been into a fast food outlet and were on their way to the railway station. There they would catch the train into the hills in order to ride down the road at speed endangering themselves and all car drivers. 

There are a good many people who are looking forward to the end of the summer school holidays.