Asbo and curfews are used to defend Fort from teen terror

Residents in Leith's Fort housing complex have borne the brunt of a crimewave carried out by a hardcore group of around ten youngsters.

Yesterday, a 15-year-old boy from the area was served with an antisocial behaviour order at Edinburgh Sheriff Court- only the second Asbo to be served against an under-16 in the Capital.

Police and council workers gathered a dossier of evidence against the youngster - who was 14 at the time of the offences- and he has now been banned from entering Fort House tower block.

The boy was responsible for a spate of car break-ins, vandalism and shouting abuse at residents. He is understood to live near the tower block and to have been causing trouble there with friends who live in the flats.

Two of his accomplices have also been hit with curfew orders following recent court appearances for similar crimes. The 16-year-old boys have been banned from leaving their own homes between 7pm and 6am.

A further four Asbos against members of the gang are currently being considered while police inquiries continue.

The clampdown on youth disorder followed an increase in antisocial behaviour and crime in Fort House and neighbouring streets.

A similar initiative in the city's Magdalene area has also seen Asbos taken out against two 18-year-olds whose crimes include housebreakings. They are banned from entering Magdalene Balconies.

Pc Brian Jardine, of the police's Safer Communities Unit, said: "A lot of the problems at Fort House stem from youths hanging about the building and giving the residents grief. They are mostly under 16, aged between 13 and 16, but there was a hardcore nucleus of eight to ten people. An Asbo has been taken out against one of them - a 15-year-old boy who was involved in car break-ins, vandalism and other crimes.

"Another two teenagers, both aged 16, now have court-ordered curfews. Along with the council we are still looking at a further four Asbos against this group and our inquiries are continuing."

Located in North Fort Street in north Leith, Fort House gained a notorious reputation as a "crime hotspot". But Pc Jardine said crime prevention work in the area had cut the problems faced by residents. He said: "We carried out joint patrols with the council's neighbourhood response unit and that has been very beneficial.

"We also worked to communicate with the kids and it has all proved really effective in reducing crime."

Local councillor Steve Cardownie said: "The vast majority of residents in Fort House are law-abiding people and good tenants. But the nature of the buildings means it only needs a few people to disrupt their lives, so any measure to protect them has to be supported.

"These decisions are not taken lightly so they must be necessary, and I hope that any problems can be quelled as a result."