Teenage girl gang taunts shopkeepers and threatens to kill as police come under fire on England’s south coast

A gang of teenage girls is accused of terrorising shopkeepers on Shirley High Street, taunting them with threats to kill and hurling racist abuse at customers, according to reports compiled from BBC interviews and Daily Mail coverage. The group has been linked to thefts, the use of knives inside stores, and persistent intimidation of staff, with witnesses saying the teenagers appear to operate with impunity as some locals say the police are not able or not willing to intervene.

Muhammad Usman, who runs Phone Hub in Shirley, says he endured months of physical and mental abuse at the hands of the group. He says he has received death threats and racist taunts, and that he no longer feels safe at his home or while walking down the street. He told BBC reporters that he has repeatedly alerted police, but describes the response as not providing emergency help when incidents occur. The Daily Mail has also reported his accounts of feeling helpless as the disturbances continued.

Video footage described by the Daily Mail shows the gang’s ringleader giggling with friends as she threatens staff and mocks a shopkeeper’s accent, while other clips depict the teens drunkenly shouting obscenities, snatching items from counters, and, on at least one occasion, smashing a glass door. The investigators say the group has followed retailers after work and waited at bus stops to harass them, contributing to a sense of “warzone” conditions on busy shopping streets.

In Southampton, independent grocer Nnenna Okonkwo opened Sunnyday International Foods on one of the city’s busiest high streets a year ago, hoping to serve the community with products not easily found elsewhere. Instead, she says, the gang began harassing her and her customers daily, with windows being smashed and property damaged. Okonkwo described how the combined strain has affected her health and sense of safety, noting she now lives with heightened anxiety and has had to install protective measures. She said the harassment has left her staff on edge and fearing for their safety as well.

Another local business owner, Subway manager Nanni Sheaik, said the disorder worsened during school holidays as parents turned a blind eye. He described the group as disruptive and brazen, reporting broken drink dispensers and damaged cabinets that forced him to install shields to protect the store. He recalled the feeling of being in a constant state of alert and said many staff members worry about what will happen next. A Subway worker at another location, Sunny Khaira, claimed police were using public nuisance as a reason for inaction, calling the town center a “warzone.”

Residents and shopkeepers note that the violence and intimidation extend beyond shop floors. Another business owner, Agather Okoye of Sunnyday International Foods, said the group’s aggressive behaviour makes her afraid to be alone at work and that she and staff are routinely taunted with racial slurs. She described an environment in which staff feel targeted and powerless, leading to a knock-on effect for the wider community.

Officials have acknowledged the scale of the problem and described a policing approach that includes more patrols and closer engagement with families. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said its local neighbourhood policing team has intensified patrols at peak times when groups of young people are known to gather and has aimed to respond promptly when incidents are reported. The force said its control room has been deploying teams to incidents quickly and has worked with parents and guardians to address the behaviour, adding that dedicated neighbourhood officers remain a steady presence in the area and that residents should continue reporting issues.

Donna Jones, Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner, has called for a change in tactics, noting that some offenders commit “horrible, nasty” offences and arguing that existing measures may be insufficient. In Parliament, Labour has signalled plans to draft new laws to create “respect orders” and expand police powers to confiscate nuisance vehicles, including e-scooters and e-bikes ridden dangerously on pavements. The proposed orders would be civil in nature and could be imposed by a court, with breaches potentially resulting in arrest and jail under certain conditions. Former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has described the measures as a pathway to giving police and councils stronger tools to crack down on anti-social behaviour, though the specifics of the policy would differ from the historical anti-social behaviour orders of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In August, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary charged a 14-year-old girl from Southampton with multiple offences, including assault, criminal damage, arson, and breaching a dispersal order. The case has been referred to the Southampton Youth Court, with further offences under review by the Crown Prosecution Service. The police say they have been in contact with parents and guardians and will continue to pursue a proactive, community-focused response to reduce disruption and protect residents and businesses. The Daily Mail reported that the force had also stated it would maintain a high level of patrols and partnerships with local agencies to address the group’s impact on the community.

The broader debate over how to address persistent youth-led anti-social behaviour continues to unfold as communities push for stronger protections and more consistent enforcement. Proponents of reform argue that new legal tools and more assertive policing could deter repeat offending and reduce fear among residents and small business owners. Critics, however, caution against overly punitive measures that may affect youths without addressing underlying drivers such as family dynamics, education, and access to social services. As the South Coast town grapples with these challenges, authorities say they will keep engaging with residents and adapt their strategies to protect public safety and preserve the vitality of local commerce.