Three teenage boys who were caught on camera kicking the heads off flowers in a Sutton Coldfield town centre display have replanted the area after police adopted a restorative approach.
The boys were filmed laughing and joking as they wantonly booted flowers in a display in Sutton Coldfield Parade on Friday, July 24. The video drew millions of views on social media, with near-universal condemnation of the vandalism.
Witness describes incident
A witness who recorded the scene shortly after 7pm, but asked not to be named, told BirminghamLive: “It was not pleasant to watch. When a gentleman asked them to stop they abused him and started taking running jumps at the bus shelter. Mud, stones and some plants were being thrown across the road at buses - the mess on the road was evident. After that they started on the flower beds which is when police were called. Officers came within a few minutes and it seemed to fizzle out - they had a chat with one or two of them.”
At the time, a spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: “We’re investigating after a number of flower beds were damaged in Sutton Coldfield Town Centre on Friday, July 24. We have identified several suspects, and they have been spoken to as our investigation continues.”
Restorative justice in action
Now police have confirmed three boys had ‘worked to put things right’ after they were identified by the force’s dedicated neighbourhood officers. Working with them and their families, the boys returned to the town centre to replant the areas they damaged and ‘restore them to their original condition’.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “Our Sutton Trinity neighbourhood team set to work to investigate immediately and identified three teenage boys suspected of being responsible. Once they were identified, the officers dealt with them appropriately and worked with their parents who agreed that a restorative approach would be beneficial to them.”
“On Wednesday, August 12, the boys returned to the town centre with the dedicated neighbourhood officers and partners from Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council and spent more than 90 minutes replanting the flowers they had damaged, helping restore the beds to their original condition.”
Police and council response
Sgt Graham Rule, from the Sutton Trinity team, said: “We take damage to our town centre seriously, and we understand why this incident and the subsequent video caused so much concern within the community. However, policing is not just about punishment and criminalisation, and we worked hard with these boys and their families to make sure they fully understood the consequences of their actions – leaving them in no doubt that they would need to make amends. I hope the experience of working together and replanting the flowers stays with them, and they can learn from their mistakes going forward.”
Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council paid for the flowers to be planted in the first place. Chief executive Olive O’Sullivan said: “We were disappointed to see the flower beds damaged, as they are a striking feature in our town centre, enjoyed by residents, businesses, and visitors. We’re grateful to our neighbourhood policing team for their continued work in keeping Sutton Coldfield as safe and welcoming as possible, and this constructive approach shows what can be achieved by working together.”
