Wrecking spree raises new policing questions

This is the view of a Milebush resident, who had the rear winscreen of his car smashed while he was driving during a wrecking spree that has been linked with an alleged rave on the edge of the town.

The resident said he had been woken up at 5.30am last Sunday (September 5) and looked out the window to see that his neighbour’s property had been damaged and a group of five youths in the street.

“I went after them in my car, up to the top road. I couldn’t see them, but I heard shouting and banging from the Milebush Park and Crescent area - there is a shortcut through to there you can walk down.

“I turned in to Milebush Park, trying not to draw attention to myself. There were three of them at the bottom of the crescent and two more at the junction with North Road - a guy in a red top and his mate in a blue and white top. Their ages would have ranged from 16 or 17 to 19 or 20.

“I phoned the police, then before I had travelled 15 yards I had a brick through the back window of my car. I didn’t go back and I warned a taxi driver not to go that way because they were targeting everything.”

Daylight revealed the full extent of the damage done - garage doors kicked in, bushes uprooted, fences pulled down onto pavements and windows broken, in some cases with pot plants.

The caller, who spoke to the TIMES last Thursday, said he had given a description of the individuals he saw to the police and that several residents of the area can supply CCTV footage, but alleged that officers could have caught the perpetrators red handed - and perhaps prevented some of the vandalism - had they come straight to the scene when called.

“I sat at the junction of Prince Andrew Way, waited 40 minutes for the police and they never turned up. I saw (the vandals) working their way down the North Road towards the schools. They could have got those five youths without any problem, because they took 25 minutes to get down the North Road, leaving a trail of destruction.

“I drove to Newtownabbey police station and was told they were not open and could not do anything. I met two police cars and pulled in in front of them, but they were on their way to a priority scene. It was only when daylight arrived that police came and visited 12 houses, but they have yet to come back and check my CCTV.”

The resident stressed that he does not wish to point the finger at local police officers, but blames cutbacks that have seen stations closed overnight and, he claims, mean “you just can’t get anybody” when an incident occurs.