Youths verbally abuse staff, ‘kick ducks’ and litter at beauty spot
A group of youths behaved aggressively towards forestry staff, “kicked ducks” and caused environmental damage while camping at one of Scotland’s beauty spots.
Police were called after a group of young men, who were camping at Glenmore, at the heartofthecairngormsnationalpark,aimedabuseatforestry and Land Scotland (FLS) staff on June 26.
It is understood the youths also kicked ducks, collected deadwood from environmentally designated areas, used an axe on trees and washed themselves in the nearby loch – whichisalsoprotectedforenvironmental reasons.
Accordingtoflsstaff,nearby residentscomplainedaboutthe noise coming from the camp, the extensive litter left behind and the group’s fire, which was lit on peaty ground.
Pictures of the scene show several abandoned tents, plastic bags and bottles strewn across the ground and chunks of wood chopped from a nearby tree.
Laura Mcnally, FLS' Area Visitor Services Manager, said: “Situations such as this can be very intimidating for our staff and I have to commend our Glenmore team for dealing with this so professionally over the course of three days.
"We engaged with the group of young men on Saturday to explain why they had to move their camp and to clarify appropriate behaviours but this fell on deaf ears and was met with abuse. Further engagement met with the same response.
“Police Scotland did attend and the group seemed to comply but simply moved their camp.
"We’ve also seen other groups put on a show of good behaviour when they have to and we continue to work closely with our local police partners to learn lessons from this event.
The weekend incident at the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) has led FLS to call for greater public support in dealing with anti-social behaviour.
Ms Mcnally added: “Antisocial
behaviour by a small group can spoil a visit for everyone else.
"This is the case no matter where it occurs. Our rangers willdowhattheycantomanage a situation but public support is vital, especially if the rangers aren’tintheareaatthetime.we would encourage members of thepublictocallpolicescotland on 101 or use the online form.
“Concerted action raises the profile of incidents, provide Police Scotland with a detailed understandingoftheissuesand provide them with the intelligence they need to marshal their resources appropriately.”
Maree Morrison, Recreation Ranger for FLS in Glenmore, said: “We try to offer a really great experience for visitors, and we do so by providing advice and looking out for public safety and environmental protection. This ensures that future visitors will be able to enjoy this beautiful area.
“We have a huge number of staff on site this year to help visitors who might not have visited the area before, to understand what ‘responsible access’ means.
“It’s such a beautiful area and some people simply don’t understand what’s okay and what’snot:wehavehadrealsuccesses. We see our role as ‘here to help’ and most of the time it’s a great job, speaking to such a diverse crowd.”