Passesto trouble

Free bus passes for teenagers are fuelling antisocial behaviour in shopping centres such as Livingston, local councillors have claimed.

Elected members said they believed youths were travelling into the area from as far away as Fife with “intent to commit assault”, while councillors said some of the incidents at The Centre had been “brutal”.

And they asked what could be done to restrict the free travel of youngsters with “malicious intent”.

A community police constable faced questions in two local area committees about teenagers travelling for free to Livingston to engage in antisocial behaviour.

In the East Livingston local area committee Councillor Damian Doran-Timson, Conservative group leader on the council, told PC Ewan Hannay: “The issues they are having at the Livingston centre – it’s termed antisocial behaviour but it’s worse to my mind. People are travelling with the new free bus travel from Edinburgh and from Fife to come into the centre and causing the behaviour.”

Constable Hanny told the meeting the security staff in The Centre were “robust” in dealing with youth disorder.

Friday afternoons have seen incidents, when most schools have finished early.

The police outlined Gateway Checks, designed to curb vandalism on buses, in their report: “Officers used the bus network from outlying towns and villages that were destined for our larger town centres such as Livingston and Bathgate where regular complaints of youth ASB are being reported. Officers positively interacted with young people whilst using the bus network.”

Speaking at the Linlithgow local Area Committee later the same day, veteran Labour councillor Tom Conn said: “It highlights how mobile youths are now with the under 22 bus pass and some incidents which have taken place are pretty brutal.”