News Residents live in fear of park yobs
An elderly man is alleged to have been assaulted by a gang of youths on his allotment site in Goole.
The allotment-holder is said to have been attacked after confronting a gang of youths who were causing mayhem at the Malvern Road site.
The allotments and the adjacent skateboard park have become a magnet for drunken youths and have come under repeated attacks in recent months.
Some residents of Malvern Road say they are too scared to go out at night and now police are planning to issue anti-social behaviour orders and contracts in an effort to put an end to the problems.
The man alleged to have been attacked is believed to own a pigeon loft which was vandalised in a separate incident on Saturday.
It is understood the youths threw the pigeons out of the loft before torturing and killing some of them.
They then smashed the birds' eggs before vandalising fencing panels and gates around the allotments.
Goole town councillor Keith Moore said: "Apparently a group of young people went on the allotment and asked this old man for a bottle of water. He told them to go away but a gang of them came back, beat him up and broke into the loft and killed the pigeons.
"I've been told he's giving up his allotment, which is awful."
Cllr Moore said it was "incredible" that youngsters were vandalising the skate park when some of their relatives would probably have been involved in setting it up.
"The community raised thousands of pounds for this facility because the kids asked for it," he said. "It's sheer stupidity that they are wrecking something that their own relatives have maybe worked hard to raise money for."
The attack on the birds was just the latest in a string of incidents in the area which have seen drunken youths terrorising local residents, littering the skate park with broken beer bottles, and smashing fence and gate panels in the allotments.
One local resident, who asked not to be named, said youths had been taunting the man who owned the pigeons and afterwards there were "feathers and squawks everywhere".
The resident said that gangs of up to 20 youths - boys and girls - were meeting up at the skate park or the allotments virtually every night.
The gang members were between 12 and 18 years old. Most of them went to Vermuyden School.
The resident claimed that, more often than not, the police sent community support officers down to deal with the problems, but the children were literally laughing in their faces.
"They were sent down last Thursday and Friday and these children were trying to take their handcuffs off them. They were saying things like: 'What's this on your belt?'."
The following day two police officers turned up after further reports of trouble but the youngsters had apparently hidden their booze before they arrived.
Cllr Jean Kitchen, the former town mayor, said the town council, which runs the park, was speaking to PCSOs with a view to closing off a footpath near Malvern Road which the children were using to get into the skate park.
"The kids are going down there drinking, breaking fences and even breaking into gardens," said Cllr Kitchen.
She said the youngstes often smashed bottles into the park by throwing them from Kingsway Bridge.
"Anti-social behaviour is happening all over - it's deplorable, but it's catching them and dealing with them," she added. "I think the PCSOs are doing a good job but they can't be everywhere at once."
Brian Robertson, clerk to Goole Town Council, said: "The skate park has been a particular problem since we took it over about three years ago, and it has been constantly vandalised. We have had picnic tables burnt and we've had numerous repairs to fencing. It's got to the extent where we are having to weld the bolts in place now.
"On top of this, there's glass strewn all over the place virtually every day. It can often take the council up to half-an-hour to clean the glass up, particularly during the school holidays."
Police are investigating the alleged attacks and are continuing patrols in the area.
They have also asked the CCTV Control Centre in Goole to trawl the footage for evidence of wrong-doing.
Sergeant Neil Coy, of the Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "We have been made aware of a few people causing problems for local residents in this area and are working closely with the council's anti-ocial behaviour team with a view to issuing anti-social behaviour contracts and anti-social behaviour orders.
"PCSOs and neighbourhood officers patrol the area and seize alcohol off youths on a regular basis."
He added: "We would encourage any member of the local community who has any concerns to report them to us."
Calls can be made anonymously to 0845 60 60 222. Ask for the neighbourhood team.
A police spokeswoman confirmed that the force had received a 999 call on the day the man was alleged to have been attacked.
The report, which was made just after 7pm on Wednesday, April 28, informed police about an alleged incident in the Kingsway area.
The spokeswoman said officers were sent down after it was alleged that a large group of youths had congregated near the allotments.
*A 47-year-old man has been released on police bail pending further inquiries after being arrested on suspicion of assault.
Two boys have also been arrested on suspicion of public-order offences.
A 13-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy were arrested for public order offences and received a caution.
Published on 5th June 2008 in News.
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