Parents warned as teen ‘caught hiding with weapon’
POLICE have issued a fresh warning to Belfast parents about organised fights after a teenager was arrested with a dangerous weapon.
On Saturday evening, the PSNI was alerted to the possibility of organised fights in west Belfast with some young people carrying knives and weapons.
They later arrested a 16-yearold carrying a baton.
Sharing the image of the weapon on the PSNI’s east Belfast Facebook page, one officer urged parents to be more vigilant. They explained they were returning from patrol when they apprehended a teenager hiding near the station.
“As we were pulling up to the gate we noticed a young lad trying to hide in the bushes (never a good idea opposite a police station).
“When we went to see what he was up to, he decided to run off... another bad idea,” the message read.
“I’m no athlete, but I do like an old foot chase from time to time to remind me of my advancing years!
“He didn’t get too far before he was collared though.”
The officer said as a result of the teenager’s “stupidity”, he was
arrested for possession of an offensive weapon and taken home to his parents on the other side of the city.
“He is to be interviewed today before a decision about any punishment
is made. This young boy had never been in trouble with police before tonight — not any more,” the officer said.
“One bad choice could affect your future. A criminal record could seriously affect your life prospects. Carrying weapons is dangerous for you, for others and is just plain stupid.”
Appealing to parents, the officer said: “With our great transport links now it’s very easy for large groups of kids to move from one side of town to the other, so parents you need to be aware of this and keep on top of it.
“So again I ask parents, where are your kids? Who are they with? What are they doing? What are they taking? What are they carrying?”
Fights organised on social media have plagued Northern Ireland for around four years.
In October, 14-year-old Patrick Burns from north Belfast was attacked by four youths with knuckledusters and a hammer while he was walking home on the Deerpark Road.
His mother Donna McBride said she feared for her son’s life and believed his attackers had been involved in an organised fight.
The brutal assault followed four days of organised fights in the Ardoyne area.
And in one incident in 2015, hundreds of young people — some said to be just 11-years-old — invaded Belfast city centre for a fight between two girls that had been organised on Facebook.