Don’t let the bowls players be driven out

A bowls match at Central Park was interrupted by a group of youths wandering, and cycling, onto the greens. Monday evening’s match was continuously disrupted by a group of around 20 individuals who went on to the greens and allegedly insulted the players, many of them elderly. This is not the sort of incident that warrants a blue light response from police but it is the sort of incident that needs firm and rapid action. It is completely unacceptable that the match was disrupted in this way and for those who did it to have the brass neck to argue with those asking them to move is equally unacceptable. These disruptions were deliberate and aggressive and it needs to be stopped. Some of the elderly bowlers found the incident so intimidating they are thinking of quitting - this cannot be allowed to happen. The city council is taking steps to fence off the bowls area in the park but the issue of such blatantly intimidating and anti-social behaviour remains and must not be allowed to persist.

In the same way the graffiti blighting Ferry Meadows has occurred again with more offensive slogans and even some trees being daubed. This again may not be a blue light incident for our hard-pressed police but it is also the type of incident that blights lives and changes the way people feel about the place that they live. It undermines how secure people feel and, just like the bowling green incident, puts many off from enjoying local facilities. It may not be easy, and we acknowledge it’s not an emergency, but our police and local authorities need to invest more time in stamping out this deeply anti-social behaviour.