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Police investigate 'arranged fight' between gangs

BBC Shows Ebrington Square with pavement on the left and two people with their backs to the camera, grass on the right, a hotel and other buildings in the background.BBC
Ebrington Square where, it is alleged, that large rival gangs turned up for an 'arranged fight'

The police are investigating reports of an arranged fight between rival gangs of teenagers in Ebrington Square in Londonderry.

The police are looking into at least one incident in December, but a security guard at Ebrington Square said there had been two clashes involving dozens of teenagers in that area of the city.

Joe Coyle, who works for the G4S security company, said he believed the fights had been arranged online and were sectarian in nature.

The Executive Office (TEO) - which owns Ebrington Square - confirmed reports that the contract of G4S to operate security at the site is to be terminated.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it is still trying to establish exactly what was behind a large crowd of young people gathering in Ebrington Square on 30 December.

It said it had received two reports - one of an "arranged fight" and the other of large groups of young people chasing each other.

It added that by the time their officers arrived, the crowd had dispersed.

PSNI Insp Spence said: "We are engaging with local representatives to gain an understanding of the situation and establish what exactly occurred.

"In the meantime, our neighbourhood team will continue to engage with local people, focusing our patrols where they are needed and taking positive action where we can and we encourage the community to report crimes or incidents that impact on their quality of life."

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, Joe Coyle said he had witnessed the incident on 30 December and a similar one just three days earlier.

"There were around 50 youths running through the square and one person was videoing it," he said.

"We were walking behind the young fellows and they were shouting abuse at us... by the time we walked them over the back of the hotel, the police had come.

"We heard the sirens coming and the four [police] cars landed and the wee boys just ran towards Bonds Street. That's what happened both nights.

"It definitely was sectarian because they were shouting sectarian slogans."

Mr Coyle also said he and fellow security guards had been told at the weekend by their manager that their contract was being terminated.

The Executive Office, which owns the site, confirmed the move.

"From April 2025, security at the site will be by way of 24 hour CCTV monitoring," a TEO spokesperson told BBC News NI.

G4S said it would not be providing comment on the contract.

Shows DUP MLA Gary Middleton wearing a blue jacket, white shirt and red-white-and- blue tie, standing near the Peace Bridge in Derry
DUP MLA Gary Middleton has appealed to young people not to get involved in sectarian violence

The DUP assembly member, Gary Middleton, has appealed for young people in the city not to get involved in sectarian fighting.

"I have spoken to the police and I am concerned that these gatherings appear to have been organised and particularly worried that they may have been sectarian," he said.

"No one needs this and I will continue to liaise with the police to prevent a recurrence of this sort of behaviour which is harmful for not only the young people involved but for the city itself."