Birmingham Fathers Take to the Streets in Wake of Teen’s Murder

[Social Media]

 

A group of fathers in Birmingham has vowed to patrol their neighborhood in response to what they see as a breakdown in law and order following the tragic stabbing of 12-year-old Leo Ross. The boy was attacked on January 21 and later died in the hospital, leaving residents in the Hall Green area shaken and frustrated.

 

The men, led by Reece Chisholm, 37, have decided to take matters into their own hands, arguing that the police are not doing enough to protect the community. Chisholm, a reformed criminal who now runs a gardening business, emphasized that their efforts would be peaceful but effective. “We won’t be using violence. All we want to do is what the police are not doing,” he said.

 

Their concerns grew even stronger upon learning that the suspect charged with Leo’s murder had also been wanted for four serious assaults on women in the area. Chisholm was particularly incensed by reports of a man exposing himself in public. “They told us this area would be better policed after Leo’s murder, so how come there’s a man masturbating at the bottom of Chinn Brook Road, scaring women and getting away with it?” he asked.

 

Chisholm put out a call on social media, urging local men to join him in protecting the vulnerable. “Calling all men in the Hall Green area, message me please. Let’s get a team of us and do what we do best—look after the vulnerable people and the children within our area.” The response was immediate, and he now leads what he calls a ‘Dad’s Army’ that he expects to grow further.

 

He insists the group will act within the law, making citizens' arrests if necessary. “We will make citizens' arrests with reasonable force. The police won’t come out, so I will put them in my car and take them to the station myself.” He also wants to ensure the elderly feel safer. “After 8 p.m. every evening, elderly people can’t walk the streets—they feel vulnerable. If they know there’s a group of lads from the area looking out for them, they will feel safer.”

 

The group plans to introduce themselves to older residents, wear name badges, and use body cameras and walkie-talkies for safety. Chisholm, a father of eight, has also encouraged his children to act as informants on local issues. “I get my kids to liaise with other kids to see if there are any problems at home and they come back and tell me. I was told that one dad kept hitting his kid, so I spoke to him in the playground and I told him that if it continued, I’d have to report him.”

 

While Hall Green is not regarded as one of Birmingham’s most dangerous neighborhoods, crime and disorder have been increasing. Chisholm, who regularly helps elderly residents with gardening and maintenance, described seeing “rats as big as beavers” and noted the decline in community resources. “When I was a kid, we had a community center where we’d all play pool and football. We had Solihull Lodge, another center for kids. These places are derelict now.”

 

Among those the group hopes to protect is a local woman, Sandra (not her real name), who has lived in fear since her ex-partner was released from prison after serving five years for a brutal assault that left her with permanent facial scars. She worries for her safety and that of others, including an 11-year-old girl who recently reported being abused by her mother’s partner. “This little girl went into the local shop and told them she didn’t want to go home because her mum’s partner keeps coming into her room and touching her,” Sandra said. “He’s a known predator. He was caught with a 13-year-old girl in his car only recently.” Despite years of complaints to authorities, she claims nothing has been done. “The police and social services know everything, but they don’t do anything.”

 

Sandra herself was a victim of grooming as a teenager and now finds herself dealing with a hostile new environment after being re-homed for protection. She described ongoing harassment from neighbors, including racial slurs, vandalism, and surveillance cameras pointed at her property. “They have put cameras on their house looking into my garden, but they seem to be untouchable. We are nervous wrecks.”

 

Chisholm previously worked with a group called Innocence Matters that sought to catch child predators. “We caught four or five and the police did what they had to do, but only one got a prison sentence because he’d done it five times before.”

 

Reflecting on the decline of law enforcement, he said, “Compared to when I was growing up, there are a lot more thefts happening. The police policed the streets better in the ’90s and 2000s than they do now. Even though they have more technology now, there are just fewer of them.”

He is determined to keep pushing for change, regardless of the obstacles. “Things have got to change. I am not against anyone; I’m here to help everyone.”

 

Based on a report by Daily Mail  2025-02-18

 

 

[newbee2022]

3 hours ago, Social Media said:

reformed criminal

and back on a criminal way.

Watching is ok, arresting against law.

[Bkk Brian]

4 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

and back on a criminal way.

Watching is ok, arresting against law.

Since when has a citizens arrest become illegal?

[newbee2022]

20 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Since when has a citizens arrest become illegal?

Since it's for police only

[Bkk Brian]

5 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Since it's for police only

"citizens arrest" is not for police, it is for citizens...........

 

A citizen's arrest can be lawfully carried out on any person for  theft, criminal damage, burglary, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, possession of a controlled substance.

[fredwiggy]

10 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Since it's for police only

It's called a citizen's arrest for a reason, and people have the right to defend themselves, their families and others as the police can't be everywhere. This is necessary everywhere and if criminals knew more were after them, they would think twice before doing the crimes. In the US, many people have guns and can carry them, which has others thinking that everyone's not a victim to be played.

[newbee2022]

50 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

"citizens arrest" is not for police, it is for citizens...........

 

A citizen's arrest can be lawfully carried out on any person for  theft, criminal damage, burglary, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, possession of a controlled substance.

That's not the case here

[newbee2022]

45 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

It's called a citizen's arrest for a reason, and people have the right to defend themselves, their families and others as the police can't be everywhere. This is necessary everywhere and if criminals knew more were after them, they would think twice before doing the crimes. In the US, many people have guns and can carry them, which has others thinking that everyone's not a victim to be played.

That's not the case here 

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

That's not the case here

You're not reading the OP 

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

the group will act within the law, making citizens' arrests if necessary. “We will make citizens' arrests with reasonable force.

 

[newbee2022]

1 minute ago, Bkk Brian said:

You're not reading the OP 

 

It's a criminal who wants to act as police. Be careful:

https://www.westminstersecurity.co.uk/news/citizens-arrest-uk-law/

[fredwiggy]

3 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

That's not the case here 

That's exactly the case here. People can arrest others , detain them, and do what they can to stop them in criminal activity. That's what these people are doing, which is honorable as long as they do it right and don't let anger have them go beyond what's necessary.

[fredwiggy]

1 minute ago, newbee2022 said:

It's a criminal who wants to act as police. Be careful:

https://www.westminstersecurity.co.uk/news/citizens-arrest-uk-law/

It's a former criminal that is helping others.

[newbee2022]

51 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

It's called a citizen's arrest for a reason, and people have the right to defend themselves, their families and others as the police can't be everywhere. This is necessary everywhere and if criminals knew more were after them, they would think twice before doing the crimes. In the US, many people have guns and can carry them, which has others thinking that everyone's not a victim to be played.

Read here:

https://www.westminstersecurity.co.uk/news/citizens-arrest-uk-law/

 

Do want to be arrested by a civilian criminal?🤗

[Bkk Brian]

4 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

It's a criminal who wants to act as police. Be careful:

https://www.westminstersecurity.co.uk/news/citizens-arrest-uk-law/

No its not. Again read the OP and stop the lies.

 

"a reformed criminal who now runs a gardening business"

[fredwiggy]

19 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Read here:

https://www.westminstersecurity.co.uk/news/citizens-arrest-uk-law/

 

Do want to be arrested by a civilian criminal?🤗

I don't have to read anything. Citizens arrests are legal. It doesn't matter if it's a former criminal or Mother Theresa.

[hotsun]

The UK is too busy with Ukraine to handle domestic matters

[Robert_Smith]

What an absolute hellhole the UK has become.

 

You couldn't pay me enough to move there.

 

Best regards,

Bob.

[JonnyF]

Sad state of affairs when the police are so busy with nasty tweets/posts that it's left to civilians to ensure the streets are safe.

 

Britain is failing badly under 2 Tier Keir. He seems more concerned with Ukraine than Birmingham. More attention on the global stage, you see.

[Woke to Sounds]

Hope this chap and his posse goes thousand percent Bronson on those vile scumbags.

 

UK police too busy arresting folks for social media wrongspeak to patrol the streets?

 

Pathetic.

[newbee2022]

28 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I don't have to read anything. Citizens arrests are legal. It doesn't matter if it's a former criminal or Mother Theresa.

Maybe not for you. 

[Chomper Higgot]

Didn’t a police officer warn a Home Secretary that decimating the police and particularly community policing would result in and increase in street crime?

 

I believe she responded by calling the warning ‘scaremongering’ and ordered the cuts regardless.

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

5 hours ago, Social Media said:

Chisholm, who regularly helps elderly residents with gardening and maintenance, described seeing “rats as big as beavers” and noted the decline in community resources. “When I was a kid, we had a community center where we’d all play pool and football. We had Solihull Lodge, another center for kids. These places are derelict now.”

I wonder what happened to all those community resources?

 

 

 

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Sad state of affairs when the police are so busy with nasty tweets/posts that it's left to civilians to ensure the streets are safe.

 

Britain is failing badly under 2 Tier Keir. He seems more concerned with Ukraine than Birmingham. More attention on the global stage, you see.

Birmingham and Blackpool are rotten holes already. Not easy but expensive to revive 

[Bkk Brian]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Didn’t a police officer warn a Home Secretary that decimating the police and particularly community policing would result in and increase in street crime?

 

I believe she responded by calling the warning ‘scaremongering’ and ordered the cuts regardless.

 

This one?

 

Budget cuts forced on police by Labour are deeply troubling, says Met chief

https://www.yahoo.com/news/budget-cuts-forced-police-labour-060000163.html

[Homburg]

There's no point in arresting suspected offenders in the UK as the British Criminal Justice System has no prison space available and so sentencing for convicted offenders is mostly limited to "community orders" which are laughed off, suspended sentences which are ignored or fines which remain unpaid. 

 

Import the World's criminal classes and crime is rampant plus the prisons fill up. Who'd have thought? 

 

Clearly not the UK Authorities who failed to plan for the increase in prison space needed.