Anti-social crime leaves town 'like the Wild West'

Exasperated residents say groups of youths and criminals who are unafraid of the police are intimidating and terrorising locals, with one person likening the area to the "Wild West".

After their van was attacked with an axe, one family from East Boldon told the BBC they had considered moving out of South Tyneside completely.

Meanwhile, a social media group to report anti-social behaviour (ASB) has seen more than 2,000 people join in four weeks.

Northumbria Police said it is working with local authorities to target ASB, while South Tyneside Council said it had "stepped up" activity in "key hotspot areas". But the builder whose van was attacked said: "There's no law, or law enforcement."

He initially believed there had been a crash outside, such was the severity of the attack, before he realised the left hand side nearest the house had been damaged.

He phoned the police who, he said, told him it would be unlikely the perpetrator would be caught.

"They didn't come, they weren't interested".

His partner said they felt fearful and frustrated that nothing had been done to fully investigate the crime.

"It's the fact there was someone driving around the estate with an axe, an offensive weapon, and it was a case of 'they will be miles away by now'," she said.

Police said the investigation into the van attack was closed due to "evidential issues".

Footage of the attack was uploaded to social media and is among dozens of posts showing windows being smashed, youths on various bikes and large groups congregating in the town centre.

Speaking outside South Shields bus and Metro interchange, Sandra Goodsir said she regularly witnesses children throwing stones at windows and passing cars.

"Friends of mine won't come down, elderly people especially.

"My husband used to have a drink at the local pubs, but he won't come down to Shields now."

Among the areas of concern is the interchange where, some have told the BBC, groups of youths congregate on evenings and weekends.

One passenger there said she felt it was "pointless" coming into the town for a drink or night out as "when you do it's trouble".

Mark Berriman, who stood as an independent in a local council election, said the community social media page was set up to help residents report issues and flag them to the authorities.

He said many had given up reporting issues "because of a lack of action", but the group encouraged people to pass on footage to the police or council.

He claimed it was helping residents highlight issues in Biddick Hall, an estate which he described as a "war zone".

"The children don't fear adults anymore," he said.

Berriman added there were issues with people on e-motorbikes, which he claimed police were often unable to catch.

He said a car was written off because two powered bikes crashed into the back of it, leaving the owner out of pocket and unable to afford to pay for an upcoming holiday.

In recent days, Stagecoach North East suspended services in the area when buses were obstructed and targeted with objects.

The company said the suspension was to "protect the safety of its customers and drivers".

Ch Insp Phil Baker, from Northumbria Police, said a "minority of people" are involved and there were a number of operations and patrol activities in progress, including the Trojan Bus which sees plain-clothed police officers travel onboard.

He said there was a "dedicated taskforce" across South Tyneside and Sunderland to report riders and seize vehicles.

"It is a common myth that officers can't always pursue and make tactical contact with these vehicles," he said.

"There are specially-trained teams through our Roads Policing Unit who can do this where it's safe to do so.

"Where it may not be appropriate to pursue vehicles directly, we can call on our in-house drone pilots and the National Police Air Service, or use DNA marking spray on offenders."

Northumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth said she would "continue to monitor" the deployment of drones and claimed there was a "programme of activity" lined up to tackle ASB.

South Tyneside Council urged residents to report ASB through the "proper channels so that they can be logged, investigated and acted upon by the right agencies" , while transport operator Nexus said it was "determined to keep" the South Shields interchange "safe and secure" and had provided a dedicated security team.

But in South Shields, one woman told the BBC: "It's like the Wild West in the North East."

Her friend added: "All you need is the tumbleweed coming down."

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