Alliance votes to slam Naomi Long: Councillors criticise own Justice Minister for inaction on anti-social behaviour

The party’s councillors in the Ards and North Down district backed a DUP motion attacking Ms Long for failing to give the police new powers to stop large gangs of troublemaking youngsters running wild in the streets.

That was exactly the problem that hit Bangor this year, with warm spring and early summer days seeing serious disturbances including public brawls and traffic stopped in the heart of the seaside city as large numbers of teens boarded trains to the Co Down coast before engaging in disorder.

The PSNI stepped up patrols but area politicians argue the force needs more powers to specifically tackle the issue. That’s now prompted Ards and North Down Council to write to the Justice Minister calling on her to put more bobbies on the beat in Bangor and reopen custody facilities in the city’s police station, which were shuttered as part of budget cuts.

The council is also to formally “express disappointment” in Ms Long, stating she has ruled out “passing relevant legislation” to deal with the issue during the current Assembly term – criticism that her own party councillors voted to endorse.

During a recent debate, Alliance politicians sought to defend the minister, the party’s Vicky Moore claiming that delaying new PSNI powers to seize alcohol and disperse crowds is “nothing unique to the Justice ministry; that is reflected across the entire Executive, trying to prioritise legislation”.

But all three of the party’s councillors in the relevant committee meeting nonetheless voted to back the move in full, including its criticism of their own leader.

In fact, the only person to vote against it was the council’s sole SDLP politician.

Alliance’s decision to back the council’s disappointment in Ms Long was welcomed by Alistair Cathcart of the DUP.

“We in Ards and North Down are suffering the consequences of the minister’s failure to pass relevant legislation and provide the PSNI with adequate resources to police the borough,” he told the News Letter.

“The anti-social behaviour that we often see in Bangor and across our coast during spells of good weather is completely unacceptable; we’ve seen injury to persons, damage to property, intimidation and excessive littering. This not only has consequences for this those directly affected, it has resulted in reputational damage for Bangor and the borough.”

Mr Cathcart described inaction on giving the PSNI powers to seize alcohol and disperse large crowds as “a real failure of leadership” that he argued has seen Ms Long “kick the can down the road until after next year’s Assembly elections”.

He added: “It is not good enough and, sadly, Bangor and this borough will have to continue to deal with the consequences of the minister’s failure to act.

“I welcome the support of Alliance councillors on this, they clearly know that they can’t justify their own party leader’s lack of action."

The move additionally sees the council reject the idea of raising Northern Ireland’s age of criminal responsibility. Alliance recently pushed for it be moved from 10 years old to 14, which unionists blocked; the party’s Ards and North Down councillors also voted to endorse the local authority’s opposition to the idea.