‘Madhead’ and the ‘hardcore’ groups plaguing community
CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS EIGHT THOUGHT TO BE BEHIND LATEST ANTISOCIAL INCIDENTS
GOWER Road and the surrounding areas have been the focus of an intense run of antisocial incidents in recent weeks as a gang of youths have terrorised residents and the emergency services.
In recent days Humberside Police have made a number of arrests after catching the youths in the act and have proactively been knocking on doors to give support.
The police say this is just one part of their ongoing strategy to tackle the problems facing the estate and want to reassure residents that they will continue their hard work to deter those responsible.
But just who are the Gower Park “gang” who have been at the heart of many of the antisocial incidents in the area in recent times?
The Mail has spoken to residents, community group members, councillors and police in recent days and one recurring theme is how young many of the “gang members” are.
It is believed that one of the youngest known participants in the antisocial acts is an eight-year-old boy, the ages of the rest of the group appear to be early teens. One is even known as “Madhead”.
The core group are known to local policing teams and community groups, and residents have been in touch with the Mail to share many of the identities.
Terry Sullivan of the HU4 Community Network Group said: “There are around ten to 15 kids that we know are involved. The ones that are 14 or 15 they’re already on a bad path.
“It is the younger kids that we want to help, one boy is 8-years-old, we can still change the course of the young ones’ lives if we get in early enough.”
Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy said she understood a “hardcore” group of youths were behind most of the rouble in the Gower Road area.
She said she was receiving briefings from the police on the situation as well as working with community leaders in the neighbourhood.
She said: “From what I can gather, it’s a hardcore group. They are mainly known to the police but that doesn’t seem to be stopping them at the moment.
“Historically, there have been a lot of problems there.”
Earlier this week city councillors on an area committee covering another part of west Hull heard that youths responsible for antisocial behaviour issues at West Park may have switched their attention to Gower Road in recent weeks.
Councillors on the Riverside area committee were told reported incidents in West Park had declined in recent weeks, partly because of Hull Fair restricting access to some parts of the park and partly because of the arrival of colder weather.
It’s led to speculation that gangs who gathered at West Park over the summer have returned to their neighbourhoods in recent weeks.
Residents confirmed that many of the group actually come to the estate from other areas to cause trouble, perhaps attracted by the reputation that has come with the spotlight of media attention.
The group is thought to have a core of known members from the estate itself who are bolstered by those travelling in, often engaging in antisocial behaviour as a means of “showing off”.
Terry said he feared that a crackdown, which has been tried in the past, would only see the antisocial behaviour move to other areas as the groups are fluid and seem to crop up where resistance is lowest.
He wants a coordinated response among all ward councillors and groups in the area to get to the heart of the issues that are causing the behaviour in the first place.
Terry said: “We see a lot of posts blaming the parents, but this isn’t really their fault. There are a lot off issues that run deeper, it all comes back to austerity.
“The majority of people on the estate are honest hardworking people trying to do their best and it only takes a few bad apples for it to get a reputation.
“What we’re seeing here is a lack of investment, a lack of places for kids to go and role models for them to look up to.
“There is only so much we can do as one community group, we can’t tackle this alone - no one can.”
Terry’s wife, and group cofounder, Dawn said: “It isn’t about investment in parks or in security it is about investment in people.
“That is the way that we’re going to bring these kids back into the community and give them hope that things can change and can get better.”
Humberside Police revealed this week that officers had arrested four juveniles in the Gower Road area in connection with arson and antisocial behaviour.
Several 48-hour dispersal notices were also issued to youths in the plagued area on Tuesday night while some of these have also been breached.
Work in the area continues for the council, the police and for the community to bring these disaffected youths back into the fold and prevent further disturbances.