Clydebank Post | News | Morning swoop on gang homes

Monday, 8th September, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 23rd April, 2008 10:00

Morning swoop on gang homes

A MAJOR crackdown on violent gang attacks has led to 11 arrests.

Teams of cops from two neighbouring police stations swooped on Friday morning at 7am.

They were acting after recent gang-related incidents near to the Boulevard’s Drumry roundabout which have already seen five teens arrested.

Sections along the dual carriageway, which borders Clydebank and Drumchapel, often become battlegrounds where rival gangs from both areas regularly clash.

All the arrested youths were aged between 13 and 18.

Nine of the teenagers arrested were from Clydebank with the other two from Drumchapel.

All of the suspects are alleged to have formed part of a disorderly crowd and engaged in gang fighting between April 6 and April 14 at parts of Kirkoswald Drive, in Drumry, and Drumry Road East, in Drumchapel.

A CCTV camera has been in place at Drumry roundabout since last autumn as a tool to combat this very problem.

It is not known if images from the cameras have been used to identify suspects in this case.

The synchronised operation was designed to catch the suspects off guard.

Councillor Willie McLaughlin, who represents the Clydebank Central ward, condemned the gang culture and called on the “idiots” involved to “grow up”.

He said: “The trouble has been going on for many years between Drumchapel and Drumry kids.

“This is another generation of idiots who will end up with a criminal record and in turn ruin their lives.

“It’s time for them to grow up, get a job and rid the town of this gang-related violence.”

Councillor Paul Carey, a Drumchapel representative, added: “This is part of an ongoing operation between Clydebank police and Drumchapel police to identify and catch those involved in gang activities. The message is quite clear — ‘You will be identified, you will be caught and you will be dealt with’.

“This will be repeated time and time again until these youngsters get the message — anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.”

The arrests come after a spate of gang violence in the past few weeks which left two victims with severe head injuries after separate attacks.

These attacks have led to two teenagers being charged with attempted murder and a third with serious assault.

And in last week’s Post we revealed that vandals in the so called Dalmuir Young Team (DYT), are believed to be behind the mindless destruction at a Clydebank nursery.

Constable Mhairi Crawford, from Clydebank police office, said: “We are committed to targeting those individuals who cause anti-social disorder and aim to disrupt and reduce the number of gangs that are engaged in violence and disorder in our communities.

“This operation is part of the Force’s commitment to disrupt violence and anti-social behaviour in local communities.”

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