Youths stone ambulance as anti-social trouble worsens

Youths stone ambulance as anti-social trouble worsens

29 February 2012 - by JOANNE FLEMING

AN ambulance has been attacked by youths at Knocknashinna playground following the latest bout of anti-social behaviour in the area.

A large group of youths threw stones at the vehicle last Saturday evening as it stopped to treat a teenage girl who collapsed in a drink-related incident.

The third incident of trouble within a month at the new £120,000 Downpatrick playground, local councillor Liam Johnston said it was time for parents to take responsibility for where their children were in the evenings.

“Every evening now there are 20 to 30 young people at the playground and at the weekends 50 to 60,” he said. “There are children there from 12 years of age, and there is evidence of drug use and empty drink bottles. They are also smashing the bottles.

“And then last weekend a 14 year old-girl was taken to hospital and an ambulance is attacked by the rest of the youths.”

Councilllor Johnston said it was not just residents of Knocknashinna who were complaining, but the residents of nearby Ardmeen Green, St. Dillon’s Avenue and Edward Street.

“They are causing a noise going to and from the park,” he said. “The council has spent £120,000 on this new playground and it is all the ratepayers of the district who are going to be paying for the actions of a small number of people.”

Although there is a gate leading in to the playpark, councillor Johnston said efforts to curtail the problem needed to be tried before the council was forced to erect expensive security fencing.

“With some of these children as young as 12, I think we also need to get Social Services involved,” he said.

“Every single agency is going to have to do what it can — the police need to take control, but at the same time when we have serious problems such as burglary to be addressed in the area we don’t want them having to go up all the time to 15 year-olds in Knocknashinna.

“Youth workers also need to play their part. St. Patrick’s Day is a couple of weeks away and we do not want this to be a centre of attraction.

“The council is also going to have to take some sort of action, but it is going to cost a lot of money again. In these economic times we are trying to keep rates down.

“Primarily I am appealing to parents to keep their children under control.”