Call for new powers to tackle antisocial behaviour on beaches
A call has been made for new powers to deal with antisocial behaviour after another summer which saw trouble on North Down beaches.
Beaches in the area have picked up a reputation of being hotspots for anti-social behavior during spells of warm weather with issues centered around large crowds, underage drinking, drug use, fighting and intimidation, alongside littering and transport disruptions.
Helen’s Bay saw three men seriously assaulted during the busy May Bank Holiday weekend in a suspected race hate crime and Ballyholme beach saw summer violence involving youths with weapons.
At a recent Ards and North Down Borough Council committee meeting, elected representatives approved a DUP motion calling on the Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long to take action on anti-social behaviour legislation.
There were also calls for more police officers for the borough, the reopening of Bangor custody suite and the rejection of any increasing of the age of criminal responsibility.
The motion, presented by DUP Councillor Alistair Cathcart to the council’s Active and Healthy Communities Committee, states: “While grateful for police action taken, this council recognises that the officers need additional powers to tackle anti-social behaviour and expresses disappointment that the Justice Minister has ruled out passing relevant legislation during this Assembly mandate.”
Councillor Cathcart told the chamber: “We all want to see good weather, unfortunately when we do see it, sometimes in Bangor and other seaside destinations, become a destination for those who want to undertake underage drinking, antisocial behaviour and other illegal activities.
“Some of the images from the summer were unacceptable and have done reputational harm.
He said: “ It is not an easy task as trouble can occur all along our coasts. This happened at Seapark, all the way down to Ballyholme, it covers such a vast area and it is hard to predict exactly where it might happen.
"But we are being hampered in regards to our efforts against ASB in North Down by inaction and inertia by the Justice Minister to resource the police and to give the additional powers they have been calling for to really tackle the issue.”
He said: “There are no real powers to seize alcohol in public, police can seize alcohol from those who are under 18, but only if it is on clear display, they cannot search bags or seize alcohol if it has been placed in a Fanta bottle for example. So it is easy to get around.”
He added: “Often the ASB we see is a result of the gathering of large crowds. English police have the benefit of powers to break up these gatherings and help de-escalate situations.” He said the Justice department was also “kicking the can” on these powers.
The councillor said: “We simply don’t have enough police on our streets to address the seafront during the busy summer period.
"It is interesting to note that when we saw trouble at Crawfordsburn Country Park this summer, officers were employed from other areas with drones and dogs, and trouble fizzled away quite quickly. It shows if we have the level of support, we can be on top of it.”
He said local officers privately told him the reopening of Bangor Custody suite was required to allow officers to do their job “in a timely and efficient manner.” He added the council had to expand its CCTV coverage.
Alliance Councillor Victoria Moore told the chamber: “The Minister has only ruled out the legislation in this mandate, including the powers to seize alcohol, and that is nothing unique to the Justice Ministry, that is reflected across the entire Executive, who are trying to prioritise legislation, and bring things forward.”
She said: “There is still a question over who would enforce any new powers, and not all councils support taking on that responsibility. The Minister and the Chief Constable have already developed a plan to increase police numbers. That plan has been agreed by the Executive, but the additional funding required has not yet been approved.”