Young people were "carrying weapons and masked up" during recent disorder in Newtownabbey earlier this week. On Easter Monday evening, April 21, police were called to the Church Road and Longwood Road area following anti-social behaviour.
Police officers attended the scene and spoke with a number of young people. No arrests were made, and the PSNI has issued an appeal for those involved to "think seriously about the consequences of their actions."
A local councillor, who has been dealing for a long time with escalating issues with young people from the Rathcoole and Bawnmore areas, is meeting the council to discuss how to de-escalate the issue ahead of the summer months.
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Cllr Taylor McGrann told Belfast Live: "We have been told by local community workers that these young people are travelling from other areas also to get involved in this violence. This was initially a problem at V36 but has now moved into the community along with the incidents in recent days on Church Road next to Lidl and Tesco.
"We have been working closely with Bawnmore & District Residents Association and other community representatives. As the local councillor for the area I have met the Education Authority in recent weeks and hope that youth provision can be increased.
"The youth and community workers in both Bawnmore and Rathcoole are doing their very best to tackle this issue with the limited resources they have. We will be meeting the council next week to discuss potential diversionary money which can help de-escalate this issue coming into the summer months.
"The last thing we want is any of our young people getting criminal records and we will be doing our very best to engage them in programmes to prevent these ongoing issues continuing. We have also engaged with and will be meeting the PSNI to discuss solutions to these ongoing issues. We appeal to parents to speak to their children and discourage this behaviour as someone could end up seriously hurt."
On Monday night, Bawmore & District Residents Association appealed for parents to check on their children. They said: "If your child is in Bawnmore, please check on them, kids from Rathcoole and Bawnmore are at M&S direction fighting, weapons being used.
"These young people are going to get a criminal record or seriously injured. We have been out doing outreach and many young people aren't from this community."
In a post on social media on Monday night, police said: "In the last hour Police in Newtownabbey have dealt with disorder involving youths in the Church Road/Glenmount Road/Longwood Road area. We have received reports of these youths carrying weapons and they have been masked up.
"If you have any information that may assist Police please call us on 101 quoting reference number 1243 of 21/4/25. Alternatively you can provide information anonymously via Crimestoppers on the link below."
A PSNI spokesperson added: "Police attended the scene and spoke with a number of young people in the area - the Youth Diversion Officer has also been notified. To confirm, there has been no arrests.
"Police would appeal to those involved in anti-social behaviour of any kind to think seriously about the consequences of their actions, and we would ask parents and guardians to speak to their young people about where they are and who they are with, and to warn them of the dangers of getting involved in this type of behaviour.
"This type of activity can have a detrimental impact on the local community. Please continue reporting any concerns so that we can take action, on 101, or online at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport or speak directly to your Neighbourhood Team. Always 999 in an emergency."
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