Sheriff right to raise gang rule concerns

The sorry saga of the mob attack at Dunfermline bus station continues.

When a gang of more than 20 teenagers attacked a vulnerable woman in her 40s on a September night last year, the incident provoked outrage.

Outrage that it should occur at all, that it went on for 25 minutes before the police arrived, while CCTV cameras were recording – something a sheriff called “remarkable” – and that it occurred at 11pm, when buses were still coming and going, and nobody intervened to help.

Now the final member of the gang has come before the courts. All of those sentenced are below 18. The latest to face justice is a 17-year-old pregnant girl.

This time the sheriff noted that areas of Dunfermline are becoming ‘no go’ areas, in his observation, due to the high incidence of anti-social behaviour there, particularly among youths.

How can this behaviour have escalated to this point? How can police be unable to prevent it? If it’s a police staffing issue, surely this can be raised and adequately addressed?

The bigger picture, of course, is what are the social issues behind this behaviour? Something is failing, if the youth in our society think its OK to behave in this way.

Finally, where are the parents of these teenagers? Why do they not intervene?

The responsibility also lies with them.