Ards must not be dumping area

SIR, — Events in the Ards Peninsula last week are a stark reminder of how society not only requires more front line policing and fewer costly to maintain derelict police stations, but more importantly how everyone needs to adopt a more proactive stance of increasing their own security and vigilance within their own properties and areas.

Last week was not a good week for the Peninsula where we experienced a Post Office being robbed; a primary school and two places of worship being forcibly entered into resulting in significant damage being caused; a business owner being threatened at knife point and a reported stabbing incident. How dare these people infiltrate the Ards Peninsula imposing themselves on communities with their criminal activities. The message is loud and clear from the Peninsula — we simply do not want you or your actions in any community.

The Ards Peninsula thankfully has many good hard working respectful decent people in all communities who are trying to live their lives within that of a normal environment. They are all experiencing difficult times and trying to make ends meet in the current economic climate. The reality is we are entering into a period, particularly around Christmas, whereby there are those in society who will do practically anything to satisfy their needs in obtaining money or valuable goods from breaking into homes and business premises, worse schools and places of worship which are direct attacks on the entire community.’

There have been suggestions that some of these incidents could be linked with reference to a particular vehicle having been used and seen within these areas and I would appeal to anyone who notices anything suspicious to report it immediately to the PSNI. 

They obviously in turn must respond swiftly to these calls in order to try and apprehend those whose only thinking is to cause gross inconvenience, damage and misery to good people.

As Chairman of Ards Borough Council’s Co-ordinating committee, dealing with housing I believe that elected members need to be informed and updated as to who is being allocated housing within the Ards Peninsula and what, if any baggage, that they bring with them. 

This is a common vein that residents in the Peninsula consistently raise with me. 

It is crucial that the Ards Peninsula does not become a dumping ground for unsavoury characters simply because they may fit criteria for being allocated housing from their previous addresses. We do not want any trouble dumped upon us or to become the recipients of those previously deemed to be unwelcome within the areas they previously resided.

Yours etc.,

CLLR. JOE BOYLE,

Portaferry.