Following a report in this newspaper of the recent Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) meeting where board members discussed the longstanding issue of “rallying” in and around the car park at Quay Lane, colloquially named ‘cruisers’ car park’, a resident of the area has shared his outrage that board members are showing empathy to “people who are breaking the law”.

During the PCSP meeting, as reported in The Impartial Reporter, some board members had expressed empathy for the young people contending they have nowhere else to go, and it was unfair to penalise or criminalise them.

Oliver Beattie, a resident of Fairview Avenue told The Impartial Reporter that he is regularly kept up until 3.30am/4.30am with “boy racers backfiring and ‘donuting’ around the car park”.

“Last Thursday, when the newspaper came out, that particular morning I was kept up until about 3.30am. My problem with that article was I don’t understand how members of the PCSP board can show empathy with these hooligans who are keeping us awake until 3.30am,” said Mr. Beattie.

“The members on that board, I’m not happy with them. They are well aware of this situation because it’s been going on for the last 20 years, maybe more. I’d like to know who they are for starters because I don’t think they are fit to be on the board,” commented Mr. Beattie.

“They are referring to them as young people, they are not young people, they are drivers of cars, they are adults. I’m looking for those people to stand down from their position because they are not fit for their position if they are happy enough to show empathy to hooligans who are keeping us awake until 3.30am/4.30am, just because they have nowhere else to go. I know where they should be, home in their beds, not keeping the rest of us awake,” added an outraged Mr. Beattie.

Over the last few months, Mr. Beattie claims he has made about 20 phone calls to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) about the goings on at the car park at night.

He called the PSNI in the early hours of last Thursday morning (December 5). “I had phoned at around 1.30am that morning and the police did attend but once they moved off, the noise continued until 3.30am/4.30am,” he shared, adding: “I do know that the different agencies are working together to solve it, there’s talk of putting more ramps but that’s not going to stop the noise because these cars are just sitting spinning their tyres, they’d be sitting on top of a ramp and spinning their tyres.”

“I think the residents of this area deserve the same as what the residents of Hollyhill got. They got the carpark closed off at night and I think that we deserve the same. This is going on 20 years plus but I would like those people who showed empathy with those people to stand down from their position,” Mr. Beattie told this newspaper.