Partying ASBO Issued

Nearly three years after the first Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) was issued in Northern Ireland - back in April 2005 - when an interim order was applied to a 15-year-old youth in the north Antrim area, placing restrictions on his behaviour and movements, an ASBO has now been issued for holding parties.

The wide-ranging nature of the Orders was underlined with two men from Larne being given ASBOs for noisy house parties, and at the same time, the legal sanction has also been hailed a success in the application of community policing in suburban Glengormley.

The 'partying' case has just come to light where the legal action was taken against local men Ian McLaughlin and Jonathon Shaw, both in their 20s, by Larne Borough Council.

The Order means they are banned from playing loud music, shouting and swearing in the vicinity of their house on the Country Antrim town's Bay Road.

Larne Borough Council's Head of Environmental Health Robert Cameron said it "just came to the stage where we had to take legal action".

"We received complaints from a couple of families who were living close to these people, and it really was a case of a gradual build-up of partying at weekends," continued Mr Cameron.

"We also felt given the persistent nature that we needed to go down the route of seeking ASBOs to try to get some better control over the situation."

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Co Antrim, the ASBO has been roundly praised with a local policing liaison group - covering the Glengormley area - being told of reductions in levels of reported anti social behaviour - much of which is said to have been brought about by the careful application of ASBOs.

Inspector Julie Blain, the Sector Inspector for Antrim Line, was meeting with community representatives to outline progress.

She told members of the Antrim Line Community Policing Forum that thanks in large part to a targeted application of ASBOs to restrict movements of known 'ring leaders' in both rowdy and in some cases, sectarian groups, there had been a considerable reduction in incidents of anti-social behaviour.

The officer explained that Anti-Social Behaviour Orders are designed to prevent behaviour that causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to others.

"The purpose of an ASBO is to protect the public from the behaviour of those individuals whose anti-social activities disrupt the lives of the wider community," she said.

See: Community Policing In Focus

(BMcC)