Residents stand to troublemakers

Residents stand to troublemakers

3 October 2012

A NEWLY formed residents group has appealed for calm in Ardglass.

The call follows increased levels of assault, anti-social behaviour and drug dealing in the village.

A spokesman for Ardglass Residents Group, who asked not to be identified, said a man in his sixties, who was punched by a youth at the weekend, was the latest crime to have deeply angered the local community.

The group, set up with the help of East Down Rural Community Network, has yet to be formally launched but feels the situation in Ardglass needs to acknowledged as a matter of urgency.

“In the last few weeks there have been a couple of houses broken into, £20,000 worth of damage was caused to fish boxes after a fire at the harbour and in the early hours of Sunday morning a man was attacked after asking a neighbour to turn music down,” the spokesman said.

“He needed four stitches beside his right eye.”

The man said a small number of young men in the village were involved in drug dealing and anti-social behaviour, but that it was happening “every weekend”.

“A few months ago it got bad, big time,” he said. “We have a Facebook page and note that some people want to take action into their own hands, but if there are protests they have to be peaceful and dignified.

“This is Ardglass, but we do not want it to become like Belfast. It is a good community, people get on well, both Protestants and Catholics,” he added.

“This trouble seems to be getting worse, however. They seem to be getting away with it so they are pushing further and further.”

The spokesman said he had approached the landlord of a suspected local troublemaker who had since evicted his tenant, and has called on other landlords to be vigilant.

“They have to be responsible,” he said. “It is ok taking £500 a month, but they need to be aware of who they are renting to.

“We are working closely with the police as well. We are saying to people that if they do not feel comfortable contacting the police to discuss these issues, to speak to one of the community representatives in Ardglass or the parish priest.

“We also hope to set up a phone line for OAPs in the near future.”

The resident said Ardglass marina car park was a particular hotspot for drug dealing and problems remained with anti-social behaviour at the play park.

“The police do show a presence in Ardglass but we feel they might need to take a firmer approach to what is going on,” he said. “We maybe need to have them walking on the streets at night at the weekend. This is when it all starts to escalate.

“Our group is not a vigilante group. We are there to help the young people of Ardglass if they want help. We are here to listen to them.

“Often the ones causing the anti-social behaviour are victims too. They are being used by drug dealers to line their pockets.”