Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GATES SHUT AT INTERFACE AS VIOLENCE FLARES
Plea for calm after youths wreak havoc
BARRIERS at a community hub are to be closed in the wake of anti-social behaviour in the area.
Gates at the Cliftonpark Avenue side of the Girdwood area in North Belfast were shut from 4pm yesterday until 7am today and again from 4pm today until 7am tomorrow.
The gates at the shared site are open at all times but the move comes after homes and vehicles were attacked in the Lower Oldpark area on Saturday.
DUP MLA William Humphrey called for “concerted action to end such attacks and to bring those responsible to justice”. He said: “Residents in Lower
Oldpark have long called for the gates of the complex to be closed at night to help prevent these regular attacks, and their right to safety deserves greater priority.”
SDLP councillor Paul Mccusker added: “Lots of positive work has been going on in Cliftonpark Avenue and Lower Oldpark with residents and all political representatives need to continue to support this work to stop any incidents from occurring.”
A police spokesman confirmed they had “received reports of youths gathered in the Alloa and Avoca Street areas on 28 December, at around 7.30pm” but did not say they were treating the incident as sectarian.
He added: “We will be conducting regular patrolling in the area in the coming days and those orchestrating or participating in any type of anti-social behaviour, in any part of our community, should be advised that we will deal robustly with them and work to hold them amenable for their actions.”