Kids don’t congregate and travel in large groups for no reason, even back in the old days, unless they’re up to something or on a school trip. Fuck me the naivety of some people. Maybe a group of ten or so travelling together is normal but kids are way more streetwise today than we were at their age. They all know about the huge shoplifting problem that city centre shops have and the tactics being used by large groups so really they should know not to travel in such large numbers. This is the usual goading of authorities to get a response. As for sympathy for 13 year olds, where do we draw the line for responsibility? If I was the parent I would be aghast at my child travelling with such a large group into a city centre. Legally the child is still a child, yes, but legally the parent is still responsible if you use that argument. But we all know there are under age kids involved in criminal activity for the very reason they are the age they are. Yet here we are, it’s the police, and probably the large majority of law abiding citizens who support these preventative actions, who are at fault.