Children as young as 12 are among those regularly gathering to drink at a west Belfast park where a teenager was knocked unconscious and seriously injured over the weekend.
Councillors, community representatives and the PSNI have noted a sharp hike in the amount of anti-social behaviour and under-age drinking in Falls Park over the last number of months.
On Saturday night around 9.30pm, several fights broke out among a large crowd of young people even as police officers tended to the seriously injured 15-year-old while waiting for paramedics to arrive.
While PSNI Inspector Róisín Brown said the teenager was “taken to hospital for injuries that are described as serious”, his condition on Monday was not known as the Belfast trust no longer provides that type of information.
“This is a deeply traumatic incident and my thoughts are with both the victim and his family. I wish the young man a speedy recovery,” People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said.
“People in the community will be disgusted by this attack. It is important to stress that it is not representative of the majority of young people in west Belfast.
“I would like to thank the council workers and emergency services who attended this incident and who are working to ensure the safety of park users.”
Last month, four police officers were assaulted when they went to investigate reports of a large gathering of young people in the park.
Three young people aged 13, 14 and 15 were reported to the Youth Diversion Officer for restorative outcomes. Two others aged 12 and 14 were arrested, one spending the night in custody.
Park wardens are to be deployed in Falls Park, part of a Belfast City Council pilot scheme where antisocial behaviour has increased by 29% in six months, the council said.