Thurso High parents warned of youth bust-up threat
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PARENTS of pupils at Thurso High were warned in a text message about the possibility youngsters were planning to travel to Wick in a large group at the weekend – sparking fears there could be an outbreak of trouble.
It follows a spate of violent incidents reported in Thurso over Halloween weekend when over 100 people – mainly teenagers – arrived in the town on the Wick bus to enjoy the annual celebrations.
Officers received reports of six violent incidents, which apparently involved up to as many as a dozen people fighting with each other at the same time, including a serious assault outside the Co-op in Meadow Lane.
Last week’s warning to parents came in a group message from Thurso High which was passed on to the Caithness Courier.
It said: “The police have informed us that they have information that some young people from Thurso may be planning to go through to Wick in a large group this weekend.
“The police fear this could lead to trouble. We are making all parents aware of this concern.”
According to the local police chief, it is a case of a few bad apples spoiling the good reputation of the bunch.
Chief Inspector Matthew Reiss said a “very small” number of youths in the local community are giving the age group an undeserved bad reputation.
“In general terms the incidents that did happen on Halloween were at the lower end of the scale,” he said.
“Police find that when we are in contact with young people that generally they have a good and constructive relationship with the police and it has been commented on favourably by officers.”
No revenge attacks were reported over the weekend but Ch Insp Reiss said he would rather be safe than sorry.
“We work closely with education, social work and voluntary agencies to protect young people in addition to the rest of the population.
“We are regularly in receipt of information regarding a very wide range of different matters that may or may not affect the community,” he said. “Sending a simple text message to parents or a similar group is a fairly effective way of letting them know.
“Our view is that if information turns out to be incorrect then there is no damage done, but if it is correct then this measure might just prevent something serious.”
The rise of social media sites such as Facebook makes co-ordinating criminal activity, such as planned attacks, easier – as was shown in the recent riots that spread throughout England in August.
“Facebook is now used routinely almost as an alternative form of conversation and we are dealing with an increasing number of complaints and queries regarding posts on Facebook,” said Ch Insp Reiss.
“It’s similar to when the internet started up and we had e-crime and e-fraud.
“Some of the matters that are brought to our attention are quite trivial but every so often something more significant is brought to our attention.”
No-one from Thurso High School was available to comment yesterday.
