Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
POLICE IN BELFAST are appealing for information following a report of criminal damage and assault.
This happened in the Skegoniel area of north Belfast yesterday evening.
It is reported that at around 10pm a group of between 20 to 30 youths, some of whom were carrying knives and sticks, gathered in the area.
Fighting broke out between the group and a number of vehicles in the area were damaged.
It is thought that social media sites may have been used to arrange the fight.
A 17-year-old male received a head injury but was able to be treated at the scene. A police officer also received a minor injury.
Speaking about the incident, Chief Inspector Davy Moore of the PSNI, said, “Young people should be aware of the consequences of their behaviour not only in terms of the disruption to local communities but also the personal implications to them in carrying out criminal behaviour.”
It is an offence under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 to possess a sharply-pointed knife in a public space (except for a pocket-knife) unless it is being used for work, religious reasons or as part of a national costume.
A person convicted of carrying an offensive weapon in public can be jailed for up to six months on summary conviction or four years on indictment.
Moore went on to say, “Parents need to take responsibility regarding the whereabouts of their children and in supervising access to social networking sites.”
Any member of the public who witnesses unusual behaviour in their area or feels they can assist the police can contact the PSNI on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Why not ban them outright? People say the black market would boom but I think only the die hard smokers would buy them. I’ve fought smoking addiction my entire adult life. Back on and off. Never seem to be able to that monkey off my back.
@john Appleseed: they need to be phased out. Start by making them available only in pharmacies. Then only by prescription and then only for people born before a certain year.
@Liam Byrne: this is what they are at
@Gerard Henry: and the problem is ?
@john Appleseed: try nicotine replacement. Take a nicotine tablet when you get a craving. They work.
@john Appleseed: They should ban alcohol too. Thousands die from it and tens of thousands suffer assaults due to alcohol every year.
Oh, and ban unhealthy foods. Obesity is the biggest new challenge. Also, many die from it.
@KevinMunster: Nicorette is as bad for you as smoking (read side effects). Vaping works better.
@Andy K:
Sure man. Ban the fags, ban the drink, ban the fish n’ chip, ban chocolate, ban sausages, rashers, Taytos and Fanta.
Jesus Christ you must be great craic. You’d make the Taliban look like Monty Python.
@Piotrek Król: and why not ban petrol and diesel as well seeing as the fumes are bad for you, fill a car with people smoking and they will arrive in cork with a very bad cough, fill a car with non smoking people but the exhaust fumes coming into the car will kill them before they get down the road….
@john Appleseed: Have you read ‘how to stop smoking’ by Allan Carr. It worked for me so it might be worth a try..
Put Enda Kennys face on them
Brian cowens face would be worse
@Jlocoroco: you’d need a bigger box for cowens face
@spud: “Gimme 20 John Bruton Specials please…”
Has putting images of rotten lungs etc on the boxes at the moment worked and lowered sales? If you are that addicted you won’t care what’s on the box.
The government only care because it’s costing them a load of HSE money, nothing to do with the amount of People dying.
It’s more about stopping people starting I think.
@Σ ΛΛ ΛΛ Θ: it has dropped smoking from 15% of the population to 13% in Australia over the last 4 years
Next they’ll probably bring in a fat tax for people overweight
@Jlocoroco: the “sugar” tax has Been mooted and due to arrive soon enough, along with minimum unit pricing for alcohol, prosecution for wasting water, a licence for tablets and so on.
We’ll all be flipped over one way or the other.
I’ve never been a smoker and don’t intend to become one, but those packs look cool.
How many people smoke because of the packaging. A useless solution. If they were serious about stopping people smoking they’d ban it but with all that tax revenue they want people to smoke.
Smoke free by 2025? Yeah, good luck with that.
Shape them like a penis. Most of the male and some of he female population will quit overnight rather than be seen sucking on one.
After a year, change the design to a turd to capture the rest.
@OU812: also print cancer cock on each smoke/ box
@Blake Murtagh: doesn’t matter what they put on them they will still buy them. I listened to this clown with the double barrel name raving on Morning Ireland. Why foes she have two names is it because she doesn’t know which one was her father.
So less attractive than photos of rotting lungs toes teeth and feet on them?
What difference will doing that actually make..not one bit I’d imagine!!
That hashtag might be a bit controversial lol.
Want to be smkoke free by 2015, but at the same time treating vaping, which has been shown to reduce smoking and much safer than ciggs as a tobacco product and increasing the cost? bizzare
Can’t do anything in this country anymore.
It doesn’t matter what they put on them people will buy them and imbeciles making stupid laws like these will do nothing to stop them. I don’t smoke and never did but I bring a packet or two from other countries of cigarettes with disgusting images aimed at showing people that this filth kills them. They have never refused them and in fact they phone asking me to bring for “that nice cigarette” I brought the last time.
They should just stop selling cigarettes from shops. Only sell in off licences and bars.
As a retailer, this has no effect on people’s decision to smoke, they will still buy them, for us it’s annoying trying to find the right pack because they all look the bloody same!
Don’t they sell these leather packets where you can get rid of the boxes and just have this leather cigarette holder! I don’t smoke but saw a teenager the other day peeling off the paper on a cigarette package and drawing on it.. I was watching closely and he was pretty talented. So will this make a difference no I don’t think so.
Literally every time I spark one up, I get about half way though and I ask myself why am I poisoning myself, Why would I rather die young Than old. They are horrible dirty cancer sticks.
I’m going to give them up at some stage. I underestima
have your say