From Louisa Jones.
WE are residents directly fringing the new Millennium Park and feel we have exhausted all other avenues in our concerns about how the playground is becoming a mecca for anti-social behaviour as well as the wilful misuse of the play equipment by gangs of young teenagers.

Firstly can we say that we are by no means ‘kill joys’ and it is so nice to see the park as a whole being used and appreciated during the day by such a wide range of the population and feel sure that was the intention of all from the outset.

We, as direct area householders, have had to endure months of disruption, noise and dirt from the construction phase in the knowledge that the overall finished park would be an enhancement to our area. Unfortunately in hindsight we are now left with a far more menacing problem, that we feel could and should have been avoided.

It has become an unbearable situation in the evenings and at night since the playground opened. The problems we are witnessing generally start around nine or ten at night and continue until one, two, three or even, as we have witnessed, four in the morning.

The sort of behaviours we are witnessing each and every night is groups of youths and teenagers whose ages range from an estimate of 12 to possibly 18. They arrive and proceed to shout very loudly, girls tend to scream and they use the swings trying to wrap them around the posts, as well as the maypole which is used to swing all of the teenagers at one time and causing the equipment to screech under the weight and actions being performed.

The round swing at the far gas side end of the playground is being swung up and over with the teenagers all piled in to it and as you can appreciate this makes the teenagers scream. The language really is appalling as is the blatant misuse of the equipment. Other groups are riding bicycles and shouting, kicking bins etc. as they use the paths as circuits.

We have repeatedly reported this to the constabulary who arrive and basically do nothing saying it is out of their jurisdiction until an offence is committed. Last night at 11 pm my husband spoke to the police who, it has to be said, were un-enthusiastic to help to resolve the situation. The first time the gang were asked to leave, some did only to return when the police went. Later the police did admit that anti-social behaviour is an offence.

We are not the only ones whose lives are being blighted by this anti-social behaviour and lack of sleep caused by the noise and worry. Several of our neighbours are also being woken by this and frightened to boot.

What concerns us is that so much money has been spent on such a nice space that surely the security aspects should also have been considered and addressed. We are sure it will not be long before the buildings also become the target and focus for these groups.

The basketball enclosed area has a metal framework and my neighbour has had to go out at 12 pm at night to ask for youths to stop as the balls are hitting the metal boundaries, so that he can go to bed and get up for work. The noise from this and the playground has to be heard to be believed and we feel we should not have to suffer this night after night.

This begs the questions – why are there no security measures in place? So much money has been spent on the playground and basketball area etc., only for it to be left unlocked. This will only get worse, not better. In fact we are already witnessing an escalation in numbers and cars containing teenagers are parking alongside the playground emitting loud music, are now being drawn to the area. These groups appear to be focused on destroying what has been built for the whole community and Island.

In essence we are demanding that security measures are put in place to enable us law abiding citizens to be able to retire to bed and not be woken by this stressful and upsetting behaviour. It should not become our responsibility to nightly form a group ourselves and challenge these teenagers, or repeatedly alert the police.

We await official responses and actions and have been given no choice but to seek alternative public awareness via publications and radio stations. In a bid to ensure the public are kept informed of what is happening to the park paid for out of taxes.
The authorities must take this matter seriously and not adopt the ‘as long as it is not in my backyard’ attitude please.