Councillor defends young people after more Harrison Square concerns raised

Councillor Allison Duncan says the SIC needs to “seriously” look at getting an entertainment venue to give young people somewhere to go.

Mr Duncan said there was a “very serious problem” of ongoing disturbances at Harrison Square in Lerwick.

The Shetland South councillor said he had spent several Saturday nights in recent weeks at the area, and had witnessed urination, vomiting and littering.

One person had been found unconscious in their own vomit, he said, and the police and an ambulance had been called.

He said youths and young people were particularly at the heart of the issue, and he called for the council to look for an entertainment venue to give them something else to do.

But two councillors took issue with Mr Duncan’s comments.

Tom Morton said he was uncomfortable with Mr Duncan “patrolling the streets of Lerwick like Charles Bronson in Death Wish” in the early hours of the morning.

And Neil Pearson asked Mr Duncan to clarify, or retract, his comments about young people.

He said it was not just young people at Harrison Square on Saturday nights, and that he wanted to “defend young people”.

Mr Morton agreed, saying the council needed to be careful about vilifying young people.