Knife crime ‘not major issue’ in Ballymena - Inspector

The large knife was recovered from the teen’s jacket when he was stopped by officers in the Cushendall Road area.

Ballymena PSNI posted a picture of the weapon on their facebook page early in the evening and a short time later droves of comments were pouring in, many of them expressing thanks to the PSNI and shock at the lethal nature of the weapon.

”We posted this photo on our Facebook site to warn those who might consider carrying such a weapon that local police proactively carry out searches and you stand a strong chance of getting caught,” local Neighbourhood Inspector Pete Bouma said.

“Some young people think it’s acceptable to carry a knife. For many of them, it’s a status symbol - something that makes them more acceptable to their peers. For some, it’s seen as a form of protection.

“We need the support of everyone within our local communities to stop the issue of knife crime. The message is simple: knives take lives - never carry a knife”.

Inspector Bouma added that knife crime is not as major an issue in Ballymena as in other parts of the UK, but said that officers in the town were not complacent about it.

SDLP Councillor Declan O’Loan has deplored the incident and warned young people about such behaviour.

He said: “While I think that the carrying of this machete may have been more an act of bravado than anything else, it has very serious implications. If it had been produced in an incident, who knows what would have been the consequences in terms of injury.

“A machete is a very dangerous weapon. I want to warn young people about the risk to themselves of even carrying such a weapon or getting involved in any assault however minor. If a young person picks up a conviction for such an offence, it will dog them for years as a restriction from many jobs and for entry to other countries including the USA. Be aware that police do carry out searches if they have reason to do so.”

Cllr O’Loan added: “I want to point out that there are very low levels of knife crime in Ballymena. This incident, while serious, is the exception rather than the rule.

“I also wonder how a young person obtained this weapon and I am sure that the police are investigating that.

“If it was sold to this young person, then that is an offence in itself. I see no reason why any shop in Ballymena should be selling such an item anyway,” he said.