Residents in the Garston area of Liverpool say they have endured weeks of misery as youths, some as young as 12, have aimed fireworks at vehicles and homes, thrown eggs from railway bridges onto passing cars and started fires. Merseyside Police has responded with dispersal orders and arrests, with locals praising the force for its proactive action ahead of Bonfire Night.
Weeks of Anti-Social Behaviour
There have been reports of children as young as 12 aiming fireworks at vehicles, destroying community sites, throwing eggs from railway bridges onto passing cars and setting fires around the area. Locals told the ECHO that many, including older residents, have been living in fear.
The behaviour has been particularly concentrated in the area known as Garston-under-the-Bridge, where Merseyside Police has issued a series of dispersal orders in recent weeks, giving officers extra powers to move suspected trouble causers out of the area.
Police Response and Arrests
The force issued its first ever 72-hour order in the days leading up to and including Halloween and the so-called 'Mischief Night' that precedes it. On Bonfire Night, police issued a Section 60 Order for the same area, giving officers the right to search anyone suspected of criminal activity.
On Tuesday of this week, police received reports of an altercation involving a group of men outside a shop on Window Lane in Garston. During the incident, it was reported that they assaulted a woman and a man.
The force reported on Thursday that they had arrested three men, a 22-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 14-year-old on suspicion of a range of offences including assault, robbery and the supply of drugs.
Residents' Accounts
Speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, one local told the ECHO: "It has been absolutely awful. There are gangs of kids riding around on bikes with backpacks full of fireworks, aiming them at people and buildings - shooting them up roads where people are."
"One of these kids got searched by police and had two rockets down his trousers. They are completely feral," they added. "Some of these kids have terrorised Garston for years, they can't be controlled. They were setting fireworks off at 1am outside the older people's accommodation. We have elderly residents who are just terrified."
Residents shared images of burnt out electrical appliances and melted wheely bins along with boxes of large rockets that the youths have been using to terrify the community.
One person posted on a local community Facebook page to report that she had been giving her son a driving lesson when youths dropped eggs from a railway bridge onto their windscreen. She added: "Scary for us both, especially for a learner driver."
Another local resident posted to state: "There are kids running around St Mary's Road causing damage to everything around them. They have completely destroyed the flowers and decorations outside Coffee Vault, scattering the soil and plants all over the street. Parents, please know where you children are and make sure they understand that this behaviour is unacceptable."
Impact and Praise for Police
Despite the weeks of misery, one resident was keen to thank Merseyside Police for its recent action. She told the ECHO: "We've now had dispersal notices in this area for a few weeks and they have started to have an effect. We think the orders and the arrests earlier this week made Bonfire Night itself quite calm. I can't fault the police for that."
Garston residents told the ECHO that these arrests and the dispersal zones made Bonfire Night itself less troublesome in Garston, but said the weeks leading up to it had been "terrible."
