YOUTH GANG FIGHT FEARS

Teen seriously injured in street ram page

Worried Rutherglen and Cambuslang residents are calling for more to be done after a weekend of youth violence.

Police have issued an appeal for information after a 14-yearold boy was seriously assaulted in Rutherglen on Friday afternoon. The incident happened at around 5.50pm in Hamilton Road, near to McCallum Avenue.

Police received several reports of a large group of youths fighting with weapons. A concerned source told the Reformer: “The fights that kids are getting into these days is worrying.

“They are becoming increasingly more violent and it’s a real concern that things are going to get out of hand.” Officers attended the scene last Friday and traced a 14-year-old boy with lacerations to his face and a puncture wound to his shoulder.

The boy was taken to the

Royal Hospital for Children for treatment.

The enquiry is now being carried out by CID officers, who are studying CCTV footage to try and identify those involved.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Clark of Lanarkshire CID said:“I am appealing to anyone who witnessed this violent incident or has any information to contact us.

“I would also ask anyone who was driving in the area at the time with dashcam footage to please get in touch as it could assist with our investigation.”

Following Friday’s violent episode, a resident contacted The Reformer to voice her concerns.

The woman said:“This problem is escalating.

“They are gathering in the street, drinking alcohol, dropping litter, shouting, swearing and sometimes, like on Friday, fighting too. It’s awful and it’s getting out of control. “These youths are running wild.” The woman continued:“My daughter won’t go on to the Main Street when it gets dark because of kids hanging around menacingly. Parents need to be doing more to keep their children under control and stop them acting like thugs. “The police need to do more too.” Officers are also investigating a similar incident in Cambuslang on Friday.

Just before 10pm, police received several reports of a group of 10 youths fighting in the street at Kintore Tower on GartmoreTerrace.

Attending officers found a 17-year-old male who had sustained facial injuries after being punched and kicked.

The youth is said to have become aggressive and was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

Inspector Kevin Miller said patrols had been stepped up to tackle youth disorder.

He added:“In response to the increase in incidents we have a dedicated policing plan, with officers undertaking high visibility patrols and positively engaging with anyone they encounter.

“Local officers are now teaming up with colleagues to step up patrols at throughout the area.”