Ballykeel meeting - anger, resentment and despair all too obvious in heated atmosphere

SIMMERING anger in the Ballykeel community almost boiled over at a heated public meeting last week.

Despite a dismal downpour, around 200 people packed into the local community centre for a meeting called in the wake of a recent murder and a number of other incidents in the Ballykeel II estate.

The meeting started with a silent tribute to murder victim Victor Hamilton - but a panel featuring representatives of council, police and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive were soon facing a tidal wave of resentment and anger from the audience.

At the core of proceedings was the locally held opinion that Ballykeel II was being used, as one woman termed it as 'a dumping ground' for people with problems.

Adding to local frustration is the widely held perception that local people are losing out on the accommodation ladder to outsiders.

"Are you putting all the bad apples in one place?" one angry woman demanded of the panel.

Her words were applauded and cheered by the entire audience. Anyone who was present will agree that the atmosphere in the room neared boiling point on a number of occasions.

Speaker after speaker accused statutory agencies of failing in their duties.

"Why don't you monitor who is getting into our estate?" one speaker asked.

"Why are the rules of tenancy not being enforced properly?" asked another.

Others demanded greater scrutiny of privately rented accommodation in the estate - although, to be honest, that is the diplomatic version for publication.

In a meeting which seemed to be constantly on the brim of boiling over, the point was made loudly, angrily and with a fair smattering of 'industrial language'.

If general housing issues were high up the agenda, it swiftly became apparent that many locals made a direct link to criminal activity with dealing of hard drugs at the very top of the page.

Speakers, many of them women, told how they were scared to let their children go out at night.

One woman was cheered when she announced that 'decent people have had enough of the drug dealing and anti-social behaviour'.

She said she had lived in the estate for 50 plus years but had never experienced such levels of criminality before.

Police performance was squarely in the spotlight as the mood of the meeting grew even more tense.

One woman contrasted recent PSNI activity in the estate with the response to previous appeals from residents

"So many times we've been told that the police do not have resources but the other night there were six or seven cars and a helicopter available," she said.

Others contended that police often acted in a 'heavy handed' manner over 'minor issues' while 'ignoring the hard drugs dealers'.

Many people referred to a specific area in the estate, where, they said, heroin and crack cocaine were being sold.

One woman said she had moved from the Ballee area of Ballymena because of the 'nightmare drugs problem' only to find that Ballykeel II was facing similar issues.

She said that her own son had become a 'crack addict' and called for a plan to stop more young people from the area from descending into the spiralling chaos of drug abuse.

Not surprisingly, given the mood of the meeting, attempts by the panel to engage in discussion were met with jeers and hoots of derision.

When the police representative asked the public to 'work with them' against the scourge of drugs there was a collective howl of anger from the audience.

A number of people - mainly men - began to leave the hall grumbling that they had 'heard it all before' and there was ominous talk of 'dealing with this our own way'.

If nothing else, Monday night's meeting may have allowed a community to let off some steam but, in reality, there can be no swift solution to the ills currently plaguing Ballykeel II.

But one exasperated comment from an irate resident at the tail end of the meeting probably best encapsulated the feelings of local people.

"How many coffins are going to go up that road before we get something done about these things?" he asked.

It was a depressing endpiece to a distressing week for the people of Ballykeel.

JOINT STATEMENT

In the aftermath of the meeting, the Ballymena Guardian sought responses from the statutory agencies.

On Wednesday afternoon, in a joint statement, they said:

Police, along with representatives from the Housing Executive and Mid and East Antrim Council, attended a public meeting at Ballykeel Community Centre on Monday night, 1st August.

Local Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Beverlie Reid said: “I welcomed the invitation to attend the meeting, to listen to the community and to discuss issues of concern in Ballykeel.

“The Police Service of Northern Ireland is committed to working with the local community and key partners towards a long-term solution of the issues, and we would encourage the public and local community representatives, to continue to speak with their local neighbourhood policing team about these issues.

“One of the issues surrounds the illegal supply and use of drugs.

“This remains a priority for us. Over the last week, we have made a number of searches in the Ballykeel area, seizing Class B and Class C drugs while making six drug related arrests.

“This demonstrates our ongoing commitment to tackling the scourge of drugs in our society.

“I would encourage anyone who has information about the use or supply of illegal drugs to contact police on the non-emergency number 101. Alternatively, information can be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.

“Our officers will continue to provide a visible policing presence throughout the area and will work closely with partners to help build a safe community and tackle problems that affect residents.”

A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said: “We were asked to attend a meeting by representatives in Ballykeel, along with other statutory agencies.

“At this meeting, we took the opportunity to outline the legislative framework that underpins our work and we listened to the concerns of those in attendance.

“We’ll continue to work closely with partner agencies and the community in Ballykeel in the weeks and months ahead.”

A Council spokesperson said: “Mid and East Antrim Borough Council representatives, along with statutory partners, took part in the meeting in Ballykeel to hear first-hand about a number of ongoing issues and concerns within the local area.

“Council is committed to working alongside and fully supporting the local community, and by also working closely with our partners (including the Police and Community Safety Partnership) to tackle those matters causing such concern. We thank all those who participated in last night’s meeting and we will continue to seek solutions – collectively with our partners - for the good of everybody within the area.”