‘Our young people will be taken away and kneecapped’: Fears of vigilantism as drugs problem sweeps through Coalisland
26th March 2012 | By: Coalisland Post | 6 Comments »
Residents in Coalisland fear neighbourhoods could resort to “vigilantism” if the town’s growing drugs problem is not tackled soon.
The concerns come as residents plan to hold a further meeting this week to discuss how to tackle drugs in the town.
Homeowners have expressed fears that public organisations and authorities in place to target drugs issues have failed to make any progress.
(Scroll down for details of the public meeting)
Parts of Coalisland have become covered in anti-drugs graffiti
One concerned parent said: “I don’t want vigilantes – young people being taken away and kneecapped.”
She added: “Everybody’s fed up that there’s no response. Everybody’s talking but there are no answers to what’s going on. The authorities out there don’t seem to be working.
“There is supposed to be help out there for people but it’s not working – that’s the bottom line.”
Concerns over the town’s problems with drugs have grown over recent weeks following several newspaper reports.
One Coalisland mother told the Tyrone Times how her desperate 14-year-old boy stole from her and dealt drugs to other children in order to feed his addiction.
Last Thursday, Claire Carleton from leading young people’s charity Opportunity Youth, spoke to residents at a public meeting in the Cornmill aimed at tackling the community’s drugs issues.
Sinn Féin councillor Padraig Quinn, said it was the “first step in a campaign to tackle the scourge of drugs”.
Speaking to the Tyrone Times, he said: “To have a successful campaign on any issue it requires participation from the community.”
The latest meeting on tackling drugs in the town will be held in St Patrick’s Hall, Barrack Street, on Friday March 30 at 7pm
Flyer for the next anti-drugs public meeting
Comments:
6 Comments on “‘Our young people will be taken away and kneecapped’: Fears of vigilantism as drugs problem sweeps through Coalisland”
Everyone, including the police, knows who the drug dealers are..yet these ‘druggies’ are walking around the town bold as brass!! Nobody want vigilanties but the police are doing nothing about the problem so maybe it’s time someone else took care of it??!!
ab
With what Guns? Sure yiz handed them all over the the British!
like yiz did
hi i wld just like 2 say that are young people wld not b kneecapped over drugs, but we need the police 2 do more for OUR community & arrested the DRUG DEALERS for selling DRUGS 2 are children…. David McCann mention that if there was better parenting are kids wldnt b on the streets at 3am, im willing 2 meet U David as im one of the parents….
Lavinia, I’m not attacking parents, my point is that the whipping up of hysteria through misreporting and ignorance from media and hearsay will result in someone else’s child getting hurt.
You can’t guarantee how other people will react, can you? the focus is well intended, but its my opinion that caution should be advised!
maybe the police dont have time to concern themselves with the druggies because they’re busy keeping an eye on the scummy wannabes who are “walking around the town bold as brass.” call them dissidents, call them hard men- i call them thugs and bullies!