David Knight: Aberdeen regeneration projects can't work with masked ebikers acting like trainee hell's angels

We were edging our car warily out of a little lane opposite the university cloisters which sit like a jewel beside College Bounds in Old Aberdeen. A drab wet Saturday afternoon, but it's a breathtaking location around King's College whatever the weather. The students were still away so you'd only expect to see a man and his dog. We were laughing because I had run out of my 'driving toffees', which I keep in a plastic container next to the gear stick; I tell my wife they are essential for keeping my eye on the road. But our attention was diverted by a coach which had pulled up and lots of people were pouring out. Clearly tourists, and probably from one of cruise ships which have really put Aberdeen on the map in the last couple of years. It was wonderful to see this transformation taking place and long may it continue; it's also given Old Aberdeen something new. A pavement poster promoting the Old Aberdeen Whisky Festival in October at nearby Elphinstone Hall seemed to confirm this. It was an encouraging street scene and one worth nurturing. Similar to looking after another antiquarian treasure – Union Street in the city centre, where I have to say I was impressed by the new scene taking shape after so much building-work trauma. On a recent visit I could see a wider, sweeping new thoroughfare beginning to emerge from the 'bomb-site'; like phoenix from the ashes. But not all street scenes in Aberdeen are like this. Imagine an intimidating horde of masked young boys on e-bikes suddenly appearing and slicing straight through the tourists, causing fear and alarm. What impression would our visitors take away? Sadly it's the kind of scene which is happening for real elsewhere in the city, but much worse. I saw something similar for myself not that long ago – and not far from Old Aberdeen. About 20 of these riders were stretched out across a road; all dressed in black, masked and menacing. Depending on your viewpoint, they were acting like a bunch of twerps or trainee hell's angels. That was bad enough, but now this massed yobs-on-bikes trend has reached shocking new levels. Blockades started appearing in some city roads after these masked idiots began playing dangerous games of 'chicken' with traffic. They also ambushed and damaged a bus, disrupted travel services and terrorised motorists in a spate of incidents. It's more insidious than mere high-jinks child's play: some are express-delivery riders for drug dealers. This lawless anti-social threat has unfolded gradually beneath our noses and seems to exploit an age-old principle of weakness known as 'give an inch, take a mile'. Emboldened by police and public turning a blind eye to intimidating mob cycling – hoping they just go away if we ignore them – they have simply become worse. Then it's just that little bit harder to stamp out due to extra resources required and costs to the taxpayer. Hence, the north-east's police chief faces a worsening crisis as drone and officer support from other forces were requested. It reminded me of police reinforcements drafted into Middlesbrough to fight lawlessness, even though that is on a much bigger scale. Yet it is an analogy worth making if disruptive behaviour is spiralling out of control in parts of Aberdeen. In Teeside, criminals were reportedly being offered amnesty if they took mental health counselling. It might work, but other thugs would view it as a weakness – a free pass. Similarly in Aberdeen a softer approach to re-educate cycling yobs is worth trying, but is also likely to be scorned by the hard-core. Being nice to them and providing a dedicated play park might be effective up to a point, but it's only part of the solution. Aberdeen schools are in the grip of out-of-control anarchic bullies, and a rogue element which plagued Union Square shopping mall near the city centre has been hard to eradicate. Street-wise children of a certain age who regard themselves as 'untouchables' – out of reach of the law, sneering at the well-meaning. Anyone older would be arrested on the spot. This is because we have slipped into a default position of always placing children on a pedestal and treating young offenders as victims. In his classic novel Lord of the Flies – about children marooned on a Pacific island – author William Golding explored similar themes. He argued that without strong adult authority, children left to their own resources resorted to violence and mob rule. The authorities must make examples of the worst offenders and their feckless families; otherwise they (and their useless parents in many cases) will laugh at soft justice. Pedalling a soft line over bullies on bikes is only part of the answer. We need carrot and stick, not just carrots followed by more carrots. David Knight is the long-serving former deputy editor of The Press and Journal. 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