Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Glasgow crackdown on teens

Glasgow never gets bored of moving its alternative teens around:

Cops crack down on youths going off the rails at Central

Glasgow Evening Times - Caroline Wilson - ‎Jun 19, 2009‎

YOUTHS loitering in large groups at Glasgow's Central station have been warned they will be forcibly removed by police.

Network Rail and British Transport Police are launching a crackdown at Scotland's busiest railway station after a spate of incidents of serious anti-social behaviour at weekends - including attacks on staff.

Police warned that any groups caught loitering on the station concourse will be broken up and moved on using legal dispersal powers.

The station has become a meeting point for groups of up to 250 young people, mostly black-clad goth teenagers, throughout Saturdays and Sundays.

Police say the problem has led to several incidents of staff being verbal and physically abused and damage to station property.

Rail bosses say the crowds are also intimidating passengers and causing congestion in the concourse at exits and entrances.

Under railway bylaws, Network Rail and police have the power to disperse any group loitering on station property without an intention to travel or use the shops.

David Simpson, Network Rail's route director for Scotland, said: "The safety and well-being of station users is our paramount consideration.

"We will remove any group whose behaviour or presence is deemed inappropriate to the station environment or a risk to the travelling public.

"While we would prefer not to have to use our legal powers, we have been left with little option but to do so, due to the increasing numbers of people and their bad behaviour.

"We are not targeting any one age group, or social group, and will apply our legal rights to anyone loitering without a proper purpose or acting in an intimidating or inappropriate manner."

Some of the comments on the article make interesting reading:

Yes, the concourse gets packed with kids at the weekend, with lots of Goths/emo types, but I always found them to be the complete opposite of neds.

Sure it gets crowded and its clear its a meeting point for them, but they aren't the least bit intimidating and I've never seen any anti-social behaviour.

I doubt that it's this group that are responsible for the anti-social behaviour and crime and its a shame that they get tarred with this brush through a blanket ban.

Even though I often had to swerve round them and their gawkiness, skin conditions, rather unflattering cut of their trousers and exaggerated show-off cameraderie makes me glad my teenage years are behind me, I shall miss them.

It's mainly adults, often middle aged, that I see weaving around, arguing with each other and completely drunk.

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