BY CONOR SHARKEY

THE climate of fear among the residents of Sion Mills has escalated, after the home of two pensioners was targetted by stone-throwing vandals.

At around 10pm on Friday night, vandals smashed the porch windows of the home of Harry and May Friar.

The attack is the latest in a string of anti-social incidents that have blackened the image of the picturesque village over the past few years.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Friar described the attackers of his home as "young hoodlums".

"At about 10pm on Friday night we heard an almighty bang and we came out and saw the porch window broke.

"We have had an estimate for the damage and it will be in the region of £350.

"The only solution is the parents. There is no point in trying to get through to these young hoodlums, it is the parents who need to be spoken to," he said.

Sion Mills Neighbourhood Watch representative Andy Patton said children as young as ten were often involved in the vandalism.

Echoing Mr Friar's call for an increase in parental responsibility, Mr Patton said: "The only way we can combat this anti-social behaviour is through the parents. It has to come from them.

"Responsible parents would be looking to see where their children are, who they are with and what they are up to.

"As a member of the Neighbourhood Watch team, I drive around the village in the evening and I see children as young as ten hanging about.

"I do speak to them on occasion to ask what they are up to but you can't be everywhere at once," he said.

Commenting on what effect the introduction of Anti-Social Behavior Orders (ASBO) would have on the young criminals, Mr Patton said: " ASBO's can have both a positive and negative result.

"It can deter the person who has respect for themselves and their family.

"On the other hand, it can be used as a badge of honour.

"What the problems we have in the village come down to is a lack of respect.

"Children mirror what they see at home and they take to the street what they learn at home. I don't think calling the entire community to a meeting would do any good because the only people who attend are the parents who actually care about their children.

"The other's simply don't bother," he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Patton revealed that he has brought drugs and alcohol project DIVERT in to help combat the ongoing substance abuse and subseqent anti-social behaviour by the village's youth.

n See next week for a full report on how DIVERT are already making a difference in Sion Mills.