Trouble-causing youths spark special Ingleby Barwick council meeting

Frustrations over youths causing trouble spilled over at Tuesday night’s town council meeting where almost 30 residents packed into the Rings Community Hub.

The underpass between The Rings and Broomhill, at Bowood Close, and youngsters coming down from Sandgate Shops were flagged up as trouble hotspots. 

And concerns about drug use, fires, BB guns, spitting, and stones being thrown at cars have triggered a special town council meeting – with police, politicians, and security leaders to be invited. 

Resident told councillors there had been two assaults this week and “fairly severe drug use” in the underpass.

“There are a lot of other people in this room affected by it,” he added. 

He showed councillors a three foot long piece of wood he said had been thrown into a garden. 

Another resident said they’d faced escalating problems since June last year from a “common group” of youths.

One man said he’d had to pay a £150 car repair bill after it was hit by a stone. 

Resident Barbara Whitmore told the committee she wanted to move from her home at the Sandgate complex due to the troubles. 

“I’ve had enough of it,” she added. 

He said some householders couldn’t move from their homes due to “drug dealing outside their properties”. 

One man told councillors he was set upon by eight youths on Sunday after asking them to move on.

“I’ve bruises and lumps on my chin,” he added. 

Another mother said she’d been spat at outside her own home – and her daughter had faced stones being thrown. “They have absolutely zero respect,” she added. 

There was an allegation that an enforcement officer had moved on youths by telling them to “do their drugs somewhere else” to “give residents a rest for a week”. 

And concerns were also aired about drug dealing on Greensforge Drive – with one resident saying she dared not go out at night due to the problems. 

Residents said they’d reported the problems to police and Stockton Council – but there was frustration at the perceived lack of action. 

Chairman Cllr James Emmerson said he appreciated the concerns – and councillors agreed levels of anti-social behaviour in Ingleby Barwick were “not acceptable”. 

But he added it was “largely beyond” the town council’s reach to deal with the problems.

Ingleby Barwick Broomhill and Rings underpass Picture: GOOGLE

Jamie Stephenson, community protection manager at Stockton Council, told residents he empathised with their experiences – and added they were “on with” addressing the problems.

Mr Stephenson said: “It must seem frustrating from your point of view that it seems there’s nothing happening – but rest assured it is. 

“We’ve identified a key five or six individuals taking part in this activity. 

“We have since signed them up to unacceptable behaviour contracts.”

The protection chief said the council had to put preventative measures in place – and children could not be put straight into the criminal justice system.

He also urged residents to keep reporting trouble to the authorities. 

“What we have to do is work with them, their families and with our partners within youth offending teams, schools and safeguarding,” added Mr Stephenson. 

“If they choose to ignore that, and problems continue, we can then take further action.”

Cllr Ted Strike, member for the east ward, said problems had “escalated massively” since he and Cllr Sally Ann Watson had met police leaders a fortnight ago. 

Cllr Ted Strike

He proposed a joint meeting with the force, ward councillors, and other public bodies for householders to have their say. 

Resident Neil McCabe said the problems had “gone beyond unacceptable behaviour”.

He added: “We’re hearing tonight there is an offensive weapon involved, an assault involved, and drug dealing involved. This is a police matter – the police should be taking control of this. 

“No disrespect to the enforcement guys, but they don’t have the power to deal with this – and anti-social behaviour contracts will not work with the individuals.

“You want proper policing enforcement action.” 

Later, he questioned whether the town council was happy with the enforcement service it was getting – fearing a service was being paid for twice on the estate. 

After most residents had departed, Mr Stephenson told councillors Bancroft Drive had recorded a high number of calls to the enforcement service – totalling 34 since the last town council meeting.

He said they were on with tackling the trouble – adding it featured regularly in morning meetings with police. 

Mr Stephenson also confirmed BB guns had been seized and destroyed in joint visits on the estate.

Calls have been sounded in the past for a police base to be installed at the new Ingleby Barwick leisure centre to help boost a presence on the estate.

Cllr Emmerson said enforcement officer powers were capped and the town council couldn’t buy police. 

He added: “We require more police officers – never mind in Ingleby Barwick, but nationally. Ultimately, that is beyond the remit of this town council. Am I happy with what enforcement provides given the remit they’ve got? Personally, yes. Do I think it’s enough to tackle the problems we’ve got in Ingleby Barwick? No.”

Cllr Strike said the town council had strived in vain to pay for more police officers on the estate in the past.

He hoped all six Ingleby ward councillors, town councillors, police, the Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner, and Stockton South MP Matt Vickers could attend the special meeting when a time and date was confirmed. 

Cllr Strike added: “We’ve got to stop these individuals from their little reign of terror – we’ve got to push hard down on them.

“We’ve got limited powers through enforcement (officers) – and that’s not their fault.”

After the meeting, Stockton mayor Cllr Kevin Faulks hit out at government cutbacks to police in the past decade. 

The member for Ingleby Barwick West said: “When you’ve lost 500 officers since 2010, and you replace them with 330 apprentices, it’s a joke.”