Why does a millionaire village want to ban its teen tribes?

IT can lay a justified claim to be one of Scotland's most picturesque villages. Nestling beneath the Campsie Fells, it also has 89 millionaires among its 1700 inhabitants. Arnold Clark, the car tycoon, is one, while Robbie Coltrane, the actor who gained international stardom by the magic of the Harry Potter films, lives on its doorstep. But Killearn also hides a dark side, one you will not read about on the village website. A short while ago, The Herald can reveal, the commendably conscientious local councillor approached the police commander in Stirling.

Alistair Berrill wanted the police chief to invoke the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act of 2004 to deal with the 60, 70 or 80 teenagers causing a nuisance and inflicting deep scars on an otherwise bucolic landscape. They gather at weekends, like a tribe coming together, to drink, shout and swear – their raucous calls augmented by ghetto blasters – on the hardcore multi-court beside the primary school. However, Mr Berrill watched this week as his thunder was stolen by Mid Calder, the village which lies 12 miles west of Edinburgh. Like a teenager throwing a tantrum, it screamed for national attention when it became the first village in Scotland to resort to the 2004 act. As many as 50 girls and boys, some as young as 13, have been using text messages and the internet to arrange mass fights in the conservation village. They have run amok, vandalising cars, gluing locks, dismantling fences and vandalising the local primary school. One boy was seriously assaulted three weeks ago and officers fear someone could be killed if the violence continues to spiral out of control. Lothian and Borders Police, who blame underage drinking for the escalating violence, have seized baseball bats, golf clubs and fence- posts studded with nails from youths gathering in the village.

Now, having invoked the new legislation, they will have powers to break up groups of youths by making the village a dispersal zone. Superintendent Harry Watters said he hoped the dispersal order, which came into force last night at 5pm, would give Mid Calder's 3000 residents respite from the violence. He said: "We've had an attempted murder where a young boy was seriously assaulted by two others with golf clubs. That case is pending. Really, the next stage is a murder and that's one of the reasons we've brought this in – to prevent further serious violence. If you speak to the local people some of them are frightened to leave their houses at night. In a small locality like that, that just should not be." The dispersal powers will last for three months. Under the order, police will have the power to break up groups of two or more people they believe are likely to cause alarm or distress to members of the public. People from outside Mid Calder can be barred from the village for 24 hours, while residents will be asked to leave the group and go home. Police warned that failure to comply with the order would result in arrests. The antisocial behaviour legislation was first used in an area of Aberdeen's beach boulevard earlier this year to try to end 40 years of misery for residents caused by young men and women in souped-up cars late at night. Under the order, anyone who displayed antisocial behaviour between 8pm and 6am could be banned from the area for 24 hours. If they returned within that period they faced a fine of as much as £2500.

A similar order was recently introduced by Lothian and Borders Police in Hunter Square in Edinburgh, to drive aggressive people, including drunks and beggars, from the Old Town. It was hailed a success with one man jailed for two months for breaching the order. No-one, least of all Mr Berrill, is claiming Killearn's problems are on the same scale as Mid Calder. But they do shine a spotlight on a deeper malaise in Scottish society and beg the question: just how many towns and villages are being blighted by antisocial behaviour that is still to make national headlines? The councillor, who is also a radiation safety officer/health physicist at the naval base at Faslane, said: "We are not talking about civil disorder on the scale of Mid Calder, but it is a real nuisance for people on a summer's evening who are wanting to enjoy a barbecue in their garden. "A lot of the people are elderly and they are the ones who suffer the most upset. "They want to enjoy their garden but there's this party going on over their hedge. "In the old days, the village bobby would have told the youths it was time to move on and go home. "But the police say they can't move them on unless they are committing a specific offence. I went out with six police officers during the summer and we stood and looked at 50 kids, but nothing happened. "I looked at the new legislation and that's why I went to the police. However, the superintendent at Stirling said the guidance set the threshold for action a lot higher. It had to be gang warfare before they could serve notice." Mr Berrill said that if the executive tweaked the guidance to police it would help solve the problem in Killearn by allowing the officers to act. His concerns and hopes are shared by many of his constituents. Mary Macdonald, who lives near the primary school, said: "The problem has been going on for three years. An order like the one served in Mid Calder would be brilliant here. I would like to see a stop to it. But at the moment the police can't do anything. I would be frightened if it gets any worse."

Another neighbour, Kevin Boland, was equally concerned. He said: "I would like to see the law extended so that the police can disperse the children. I feel sorry for them but things can and do often get out of hand especially with drink. It is a recipe for disaster." However, antisocial orders are not a magic wand. They may treat the symptoms in the village of the banned, but not the disease itself. Police, politicians and parents all believe the solution lies closer to home. Superintendent Watters said education was the key to a long-term solution to the problem. With this in mind, local community officers are going to schools to talk about the impact of the dispersal order. He said: "Having nothing to do is no excuse to go and damage people's property and fight. We are really looking to the parents of the children concerned to take some action and ensure they know where their children are in the evenings." The message was reinforced by Inspector Pauline McIntyre, the senior officer based at Mid Calder police station. She said: "There is not going to be a police state. We are not going to stop two people going for a fish supper and some lemonade or even four going for some sweets. People acting responsibly have nothing to fear." However, she urged parents to think about where their children went at night. "I have two young boys myself and would rather they were at home than out on the streets. I would ask parents to check their children when they come home because many are going home under the influence of alcohol. "I would also ask them to be aware of where their children are and I would ask parents to explain the order to them. "This will not be solved by the police alone. We need everybody on board, including the parents." It is also unlikely that the police would be able to enforce too many dispersals. One police source said: "If the Mid Calder initiative is effective every town and village will want one. That would be a pretty tough challenge to meet." However, Kenny MacAskill, SNP justice spokesman, describes the use of the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act of 2004 as a mere sticking plaster. He said: "We must ensure that we tackle the root causes of antisocial behaviour. "We need jobs in communities, leisure facilities for the young and a clear strategy to tackle the drinks, drugs and deprivation that create the nihilism which fuels antisocial behaviour." As for Killearn, Mr Boland said that he was perhaps more tolerant because he was a teacher, adding: "But some people feel threatened by 70 shouting children. Any action has to be balanced with community education which also provides things for the children to do. "We need to incorporate young people into society. They are always going to be here."

Cameron Simpson
5 December 2005

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