Petty assault happens all the time around here. Just some idiot who will punch you if you look at him for too long to prove his hardness to his mates. And the police will do nothing. You can go and make a statement and nothing happens. But if they could have on-the-spot fines, more of them would be brought to (some kind of) justice and it would save the police money. Obviously for more violent criminals then it's a different matter, but for the kids around here, it's probably just what they need. The people publicly criticising the report obviously have never lived in a place where violence is an everyday thing.
Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't punching someone make you a violent criminal by definition? Is punching no longer considered an act of violence over there?
Between a few youths, only if someone gets seriously hurt or a weapon is used. Police problem is sorting out what really happened from all the lies about who started the brawling. Besides, it's traditional.
