ALLEYWAYS in a troubled area of inner-city Belfast are being locked to stop their nightly use as escape routes for youths who have been "terrorising" homes with violence for six months.
Families have told how they are now desperate to flee their North Queen Street homes in the New Lodge area, accusing the authorities of "letting them down".
Tins of soup are among missiles used by children as young as 11 and 12 to break house windows during nightly attacks.
Other anti-social behaviour includes arson attacks and `death driving' by older teenagers, with frequent violent confrontation with police.
More than 30 residents held a socially distanced meeting last week where they expressed anger and frustration to north Belfast SDLP councillor Paul McCusker.
A meeting was held on Wednesday with PSNI, Housing Executive (HENI) and council officials.
Afterwards HENI agreed to put up the alley gates, in the hope that cutting off an escape route behind people's homes will reduce some of the anti-social behaviour.
"Three different families have told me they want to leave their homes and move out of the area," Mr McCusker said.
"There is one older man with dementia who is too frightened to sleep at night."
The Belfast deputy mayor said the area with "the highest rates of suicide in Europe and the highest amount of housing stress in Northern Ireland" has people being "intimidated" out of homes, which are then left empty, causing damp and other issues for neighbours
"New Lodge has been in the spotlight for a number of years with the [internment] bonfire, but generally after August/September things die down, but this year the nightly trouble has just continued.
"It's even significantly affecting some of the shops as it's deterring people from going there."
He showed a photograph of two cars which he said had crashed `doing doughnuts' just hours after the meeting
According to Mr McCusker, the PSNI also gave an undertaking to increase patrols, but he stressed the need for them to walk the streets to reassure people,
"People feel safer when they see police officers out of their Land Rovers."
The PSNI said it has "increased resources... following recent incidents of anti-social and at times criminal behaviour".
"People have a right to live in peace and to feel safe in their communities," Inspector Paul Noble said.
"Parents and guardians have an important obligation to keep young people safe by knowing where they are going and who they are with."
He said its Season's Greetings operation will see "highly visible patrolling" from local officers "supported by our tactical support group [TSG] colleagues".
