Covid blamed for upsurge in youth disorder after street signs smashed

A Dundee councillor says she is “very concerned” about the rise in antisocial behaviour after a series of city centre street signs were destroyed.

Police are investigating after a number of advertising boards were vandalised in recent days, including one on Union Street and another on Greenmarket.

These latest crimes come after six children were charged in connection with the huge blaze that destroyed the former Robertson’s furniture shop in Dundee.

A number of young people have also been arrested in connection with riots witnessed in the Kirkton area of the city on Halloween.

Councillor Georgia Cruickshank, who represents the Maryfield ward, said: “There has been an upsurge in antisocial behaviour since the end of Covid-19.

“We’ve got a lost

generation of young people who have fallen through the net and we really need to engage with them and find out what’s going on.

“When I say slipped through the net, some of them were of schoolleaving age (when the pandemic hit) and possibly didn’t go back to school after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.

“So we need to be doing all we can engage with these people so we can understand and help to prevent some of the antisocial behaviour from happening.”

Police said they had received a number of reports of advertising boards being vandalised in Dundee city centre in recent weeks and inquiries were ongoing.

Advertising boards have been vandalised in Dundee.