Tackling youth disorder

Published 24 Feb 2010 16:17 11 Comments

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CRACKDOWN: Sergeant High and PC Alex Marshall

By Jennifer Black

LINWOOD gangs are not a major issue - the police officer in charge of the area has assured residents.

Sergeant George High, who is head of policing for Linwood, Houston and Crosslee, is reassuring the public that youth trouble is not tolerated and his officers are working hard to keep disruptions to a minimum.

Sergeant High told The Gazette: "Gangs are not a major issue, gangs have been here for forty or fifty years - every town has gangs.

"We have our wee incidents but we are working at it.

"We have done more work in the last 12 months than we have ever done before."

The ringleader of the Linwood 'Terror Crew' the main gang in the area, is a 15-year-old boy who is well known to the officers.

He has been reported 29 times in the last five years but continues to cause trouble.

Sergeant High added: "As soon as he turns 16 he will be arrested and kept in custody at every opportunity."

He also explained that the officers, who are often out on cycle patrols, know the rest of the gang members who are all searched regularly.

He said: "We know them, they know us, we follow them about, we chase them, we look for them and we get complained about for harassing them because they have got their rights to hang about the streets and walk about.

"But our argument is they are the ones causing bother and we will continue to target them at every opportunity.

"There are allegations that they carry knives - I don't think we have ever taken a knife off any of them because either they dispose of them long before they see us or they don't carry knives and it's just rumours and hearsay."

The police are working closely with Renfrewshire Council, ASIST (Renfrewshire Council Anti Social Behaviour Team), the Environmental Warden Service and there is a range of diversionary activities now available in the area.

Campus officers are working with head teachers to deglamorise gangs and are making pupils aware of the damage anti-social behaviour can have on the community.

Sergeant High wants to reassure the public that his team are doing everything possible to keep the area safe.

He added: "This disorder will not be tolerated and I would reassure the public that we will continue with all of these measures to target the minority of individuals whose actions cause fear within the community."

Secretary of Linwood Community Council, Ian Wilson, said: "Linwood Community Council has for some time appreciated the efforts of the police, both the community police and the additional staff that has been allocated to Linwood at various times.

"We trust that this will, in the future, have a strong effect."

This article appeared in The Gazette 24 Feb 10

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jack
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Feb 24, 21:06
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wrong again cause the police dont search us all the time

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Ellie
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Feb 24, 22:25
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Whilst I agree that disorder should not be tolerated, I'd like to ask if there is anything being done to get these kids off the streets and get them interested in doing something with their lives. Police chasing them from one location to another doesn't solve anything long term.

I grew up in Linwood in the 80's and there was nothing to do then - myself and my friends didn't get into trouble, but we all had some sort of focus in our lives. What have these kids got to focus on and look forward to and who's interested?

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loneranger
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Mar 3, 16:58
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doesnt matter what people try and do or say to prevent gang culture it will never go away it begins in primary school,develops in high school spills onto the streets when the bell rings ringleaders wallow in police/authority attention charges and sentences are badges of honour to them.If the community are so concerned they should begin with a complete ban on alcohol sales which will never happen + taking out the dealers?

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Jo
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Mar 3, 21:01
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I think sergant High is living in fairy land, try coming up to clippens shop and surrounding area on a regular basis, i was told it infringes on their human rights to search them, i know for a fact that they very rarely get searched, i think people getting beaten so badly that they end up in hospital, and wrecking a butchers shop during the day twice and attacking the butcher's is serious, the gang is out of control and the police cannot control them, i watched a group of youths taunting the police and throwing missiles at them, the police turned and walked in the opposite direction, yea we have always had a gang problem but never before have innocent decent people been abused in this way, someone has to make a stand and take proper action.

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jackie
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Mar 3, 21:24
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I think if you ask the residents and shopkeepers of Linwood then you might get a different story indeed.

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Lisa
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Mar 4, 18:39
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What is scariest of all is witnessing them carrying weapons, rushing around in large groups and so far the police have admitted they fail to find weapons on them. I've been passed several times by these youths who carry poles, knifes, and golf clubs on their way to trouble. And this is around 6pm in the evening, not in the dead of night. They brazenly stalk people, verbally abusing them. It's terrible, I once had a youth no older than 14 blow cigarette smoke in my face when I passed him. The attitude of the police to this terrorism is utterly shambolic!

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resident
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Mar 6, 14:40
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I live in Linwood (30 years)an never has change as much

kids hang around the shops all the time to get there stinking cigarettes they seam to forget thought the law is under 16 cant buy them (blame the shop owners for that)

an when you ask one to move you get abuse back an get confronted by 1 the whole gang jumps on you i try 2 avoid the area when its lunch time now because of this never see the police there when its needed 2 keep control of such a large group usually 30 + mark

the police should target it an clamp them down an not sit on there bum all day in the office

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tricia
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Mar 19, 18:06
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Bring in a curfew these gangs are capable of murder and grievious bodily harm. FINE the parents it is their responsibility they had the children. If their not capable get them off the streets into care where they might stand a chance of an education. Why should working and law abiding people be made to pay taxes and suffer. The punishment never fits the crime they laugh at the law and use aggression to do and get what they want. No child should be walking about the streets at night with nothing to do its not right

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******
Apr 8, 22:22
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mm
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May 1, 13:27
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We get moved away from the shops by the police and get told to go somewhere where we are not near houses so we do then they come and move us from there.And we don't fling away our knifes,we don't have any in the first place.

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Goldie
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May 2, 23:29
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If the kids want something to do why dont they go along to our lady of the peace primary and get involved in small sided football tournaments 3 nights per week Tuesday, Friday and saturday evenings between 6-10pm

Youths over the age of 16 can enroll in football coaching courses which are Free. These courses are Carried out by St Mirren FC Community department. There are also opportunities for employment within the initiative for dedicated paticipants.

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linwood resident
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Jun 7, 00:42
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i have got to laugh at the comment from that person if they are daft little boys why do they all run around at the weekends fighting with grown men who can handle them selfs and using knifes and any objects as weapons and another thing half of them have been to jail they are not all little boys they range from 14 to 28 so i dont no what you are talking about considering they are still doing the same stuff after going to jail couldn't have done them any favors. this gang the linwood terror crew are the most viscous thugs ive came across in my day and the police are far from having them under control they dont even bother there own backsides i cant walk down the street without seeing youths fighting or vandalizing the place Ive seen them with knifes and machette looking knifes fighting on the main roads on a daily occurrence so if you call that under control then you dont have a clue it is impossible to maintain the crime rate in Linwood its to dangerous of a place and there are to many dangerous people staying in it not just the youths but well known hard men/gangsters. best idea would be to move all the decent people to one end and all the rest to another like ferguslie

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******
Jun 7, 22:16
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